Ray Scott
Ray Scott - Credited with having had a "brainstorm in a rainstorm" when he sat in his hotel room after being run-off Ross Barnett Reservoir, outside Jackson, MS, during a thunderstorm and talking bass fishing with other diehards who had been chased-in, due to the bad weather, this man wondered out loud why the bass fishermen of America had to hide their love of the sport in a closet? Why weren't the bass fishermen of America united? Why, he would wonder, didn't someone form an organization to bring the many bass fishing fanatics out of the attic and band them together?
Heeding his own advice, he did something. When he decided to hold his first bass tournament, "the All-American", on Beaver Lake, near Rogers, AR, he wanted to make certain that, should this event fail, he was far enough away from his home, in Montgomery, AL, that no one would know about it. But, as history has proven, this first B.A.S.S. tournament and the idea of bringing anglers together to share their love of fishing competition, opened the door to the most successful fishing organization in the world.
Today, the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society has grown from humble roots in 1968 to having over 650,000 members worldwide. And has, along the way, established themselves as the leader in pursuing conservation issues; in promoting "catch and release", requiring that all bass boats that participate in B.A.S.S. events had working, functional, "live-wells"; and, B.A.S.S. tournaments have led the way in promoting boating safety. Additionally, the year-end championship tournament, the Bassmasters Classic, is known to anglers everywhere as the "Super Bowl of bass fishing".
Without his insight, dedication, and sheer tenacity, we wouldn't have the clean waters act and the best fishing waters in America's history.
Bassmaster magazine has come to be known as the fisherman's bible, to bass anglers around the world. He has been inducted into every major fishing hall of fame in existence; including the International Fishing Hall of Fame and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Ray Scott was also listed by Field & Stream, in 1995, as one of twenty people who have done the most to influence outdoor sports during the past century; and in 1998, Outdoor Life listed him as one of their "ten keepers", because his formation of B.A.S.S. is one of the top fishing innovations of the past century!