Greg Hackney earns Toyota Tundra Fan Favorite title, donates prize to charity

For Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., not much else could top earning the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title until he learned he had been voted the AOY Fan Favorite in the Toyota Tundra AOY Fan Favorite Sweepstakes just days before he was set to compete in the AOY championship.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., not much else could top earning the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title until he learned he had been voted the AOY Fan Favorite in the Toyota Tundra AOY Fan Favorite Sweepstakes just days before he was set to compete in the AOY championship.

“Being chosen as the fan favorite was just like winning Angler of the Year,” Hackney said. “It really shocked me. It’s so humbling to have everyone watching and voting and to know that they were rooting for me to win AOY, too.”

All 50 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year contenders were in the running to become the fan favorite, and fans could vote once a day for their angler of choice. Along with the title, the angler with the most votes was given $5,000 as a donation to his charity of choice.

“For me that was a no brainer,” Hackney said. “I chose Folds of Honor.”

Folds of Honor is a non-profit organization seeking to meet the needs of military families who have had a family member killed or disabled while in active duty. By providing annual educational scholarships, Folds of Honor helps support private education tuition, tutoring and educational summer camps for children K-12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and children.

“This charity takes care of the families whose loved ones protect us,” Hackney said. “I have the freedom to chose to fish professionally for a living, and it’s our military that’s protecting that freedom and so many other freedoms. It’s our job to support them.

“There’s nothing better than seeing a flyover at a tournament. It gives me a sense of security, and that’s what Folds of Honor does for those families.”

The 2014 Toyota Tundra AOY Fan Favorite Sweepstakes gave bass fishing fans an opportunity to recognize their favorite angler, as well as enter for a chance to win a Toyota Tundra.

“My dad and I entered pretty frequently the whole time,” said Hannah Tillman of Gardendale, Ala., winner of the fan component of the sweepstakes. “When I found out I had won, I was in shock for a week just thinking ‘This isn’t real.’”

Tillman will receive a 2014 Toyota Tundra valued at $35,000. As a 19-year-old undergrad student at Highlands College in Birmingham, Ala., winning a new truck couldn’t have come at a better time for Tillman and her family.

“Winning this truck has been mind blowing!” Tillman said. “I’m in school and paying for a lot right now, so this opportunity has been incredible.

“We looked at the charity component of the sweepstakes too and thought it would be awesome to help an angler be able to donate to a charity.”

For another chance to win, fans can enter the Ultimate Fish with KVD Sweepstakes, valued at $35,000, currently underway on Bassmaster.com. The winner will receive a fishing trip with seven-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam, including round-trip airfare within the continental U.S., a three-night hotel stay, rental car and $500 spending money.

 In addition to the KVD fishing trip, the winner also receives a new Nitro Z-7 with a Mercury 150 Pro XS and trailer, and an assortment KVD’s gear.
 The winner will be selected Jan. 13.

About Folds of Honor

Of the one million-plus dependents adversely affected by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly nine out of 10 do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance. Folds of Honor seeks to meet this need by providing annual educational scholarships to the military families of those who have been killed or disabled while in active duty. These help support private education tuition, tutoring and educational summer camps for children K-12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and children. Since its founding in 2007, the organization is proud to have awarded over 7,500 scholarships, including over 2,000 in 2014 alone.