PINTLALA, Ala. (AP) – Special occasions call for special celebrations, and Ray Scott pulled out all the stops on a recent Friday afternoon as he observed his 80th birthday.
The man who left one successful job to create something so new he would be mentioned in the same breath as Teddy Roosevelt invited a “few” friends to join him for some fun in the sun.
By the time the party had begun, about 150 folks from across the country lined up to offer congratulations and presents.
His morning couldn’t have started better – a wake-up call from a former president. A few hours later, he was greeted by the daughter of one of America’s most famous entertainers.
“Pioneer,” “genius,” “icon,” “revolutionary” and “legend” were just a few of the salutatory words bandied about before and during a program at Scott’s Trophy Bass Retreat, where his backyard is a 55-acre lake.
“Ray is bigger than life,” said Jett Williams, daughter of another legend – Hank Williams. “He’s a self-made man who had a vision and followed through to make it popular with millions of people.”
In 1968, Scott was a successful insurance agent who parlayed his bass-fishing passion into an organization that garnered him a national reputation.
What he did was take a weekend hobby for devoted anglers and transform it into a major league of its own, one that has rivaled baseball and stock car racing.
His creation of bass fishing tournaments had not been tried before. In his mind, however, he was convinced they were made to order for those who enjoyed the sport, many of whom were ready to step up to a higher level.
Those first fledgling steps were taken in Arkansas, where more than 100 bass fishermen from 15 states showed up to participate for prize money.
That prompted him to travel across the country to explain the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or BASS – something that became the watchword for a whole new outdoor enterprise.
BASS helped spawn a new industry, one that required better rods, reels, boats and clothes along with magazines and an assortment of other necessities.
The rest, as they say, is history, making Scott a millionaire several times over as well as a national icon. He eventually sold it and became something of an “elderly statesman” in the sport.
Retirement was out of the question. He let everyone know he wasn’t about to rock away his “seasoned citizen” years and took an interest in other projects, including conservation efforts and boating safety.
Three decades ago, Scott published a bass-fishing magazine in which he explained his vision for promoting the sport.
“It is my plan that we lift bass fishing up to public par with golf, bowling and pocket billiards,” he said. “It’s high time the public found out we exist.”
It wasn’t long before he accomplished his initial goal by becoming a regular guest on national television programs such as the “Today” show. That led to frequent calls from around the country from people seeking advice about how to catch the biggest bass in their states.
Honors quickly came his way, including the Davy Crockett Award for setting standards and guidelines for the outdoors industry.
In 1986, he received a Living Legends Award for his efforts to promote sport fishing, and in 1995, he was included in Field & Stream magazine’s “Twenty Who Made a Difference” in influencing outdoor sports during the 20th century.
He joined quite a group of American luminaries, including President Theodore Roosevelt, who was “bully” on the great outdoors, especially when it came to fishing and hunting.
Scott has received nearly 30 important national awards for his sports management and conservation efforts. He also founded the Whitetail Institute of North America at his Pintlala headquarters.
In addition, he took a political detour by serving as Alabama chairman of George H.W. Bush’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980.
“We got clobbered by Reagan,” he said, before his birthday celebration began Friday. “But, it all turned out for the best when (Bush) was elected president later.”
Bush has been a frequent guest at Scott’s bass-fishing facility and was one of many friends who helped raise more than $1 million to build the nearby Pintlala Baptist Church.
Several who took part in the fundraising effort were on hand Friday to help him celebrate his milestone moment. Among the gifts he received was a CD collection of Hank Williams’ greatest hits – presented to him by Hank’s daughter, who came from Nashville to join in the fun.
Scott gave her a big hug and couldn’t resist breaking into his own version of how country music should sound.
“Hey, good lookin’ ... whatcha got cookin’?” he warbled as Williams stood nearby, beaming broadly as he tried vainly to stay in tune.
The real cooking came from Theo Katechis, who brought along 300 of Chris’ famous hot dogs for everyone to enjoy. Chips and Cokes took care of the rest.
