NASHVILLE, Tenn. — B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott was doubly honored Saturday by the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.
First, the Hall’s Davy Crockett Trailblazer Award was renamed “The Ray Scott American Trailblazer Award,” and then it was presented to Scott. Hall of Fame founder Garry Mason said the award was named after Scott — one of the first inductees in 2003 — for his contributions to outdoor sports as “The Father of Professional Bass Fishing.”
Scott held the first modern, professional bass tournament in 1967 on Beaver Lake, Ark., attracting more than 100 bass anglers, including legendary angler Bill Dance. He organized the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) and began publishing Bassmaster Magazine the following year.
Other honorees in the annual induction banquet Saturday were Lucy Mize, a standout professional angler; professional hunter Colorado Buck; W.R. Sauey, cofounder of Flambeau Outdoors; Terry and Mark Drury of Drury Outdoors; George Thornton, CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation; and Fred Bear, “The Father of Modern Bowhunting.”
Also receiving awards were Lisa M. Snuggs, director of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, American Outdoor Sportsman of the Year; Mike Hayes, Tennessee Outdoorsman of the Year; FLW, Outdoor Organization of the Year; and Flambeau Outdoors, Outdoor Manufacturing Excellence Award for both Fishing and Hunting.