Steve Kennedy is almost certainly the only former mechanical engineer among the competitors at Toyota Trucks All-Star Week. The Auburn grad will be looking to continue the Tigers' winning streak, and he won't need Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton to do it. Kennedy is as talented as anyone in the field and will have something of a home field advantage on Lake Jordan and the Alabama River. He lives just more than an hour away from the competition waters.
One of the brightest pros in the Elite Series, Kennedy is renowned for using relatively little of the available practice time before tournaments. His ability to find fish quickly should pay dividends during All-Star Week.
Kennedy's résumé includes the sixth best single-day catch in the five-bass limit era (40 pounds, 7 ounces at Clear Lake in 2007), the seventh best total tournament catch (122-14 at the same event), the 2006 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award and six consecutive Bassmaster Classic appearances. He's a three-time member of the Century Club (100-plus pounds in a tournament), tied for the second fewest tournaments to reach $1 million in B.A.S.S. prize money and is ninth among Elite anglers in career bassing average with 4.7738.
If he can find some offshore structure and a crankbait bite, the rest of the All-Stars might be in a world of trouble. Kennedy learned his cranking skills from his father, Van, who qualified for the 1982 Bassmaster Classic from the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and is still regarded as one of the best "sticks" in his home state of Georgia.
| Name: | Steve Kennedy |
| Nicknames: | None |
| Hometown: | Auburn, Ala. |
| Age: | 42 |
| 2011 AOY rank: | 5th |
| B.A.S.S. events: | 77 |
| B.A.S.S. earnings: | $1,027,513.00 |
| B.A.S.S. wins: | 2 |
| Classic appearances: | 5 |
| Classic wins | 0 |
| AOY titles: | 0 |
| Strengths: | Versatility, but especially adept with a Kinami Flash or deep-diving crankbait |
| Weaknesses: | Crimson Tide memorabilia (his Kryptonite!) |