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FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO
BASS FISHING'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic
Has Evolved Tremendously in 32 Years
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 17, 2002 - In its first six years of existence, the BASSMASTERS
Classic was such a low-key event that B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott
kept the tournament site secret from everyone until the contenders
and outdoor press were in the air.
That would never fly today.
The crowning event of the fledgling tournament
circuit was staged at a "mystery" site from 1971 to
1976. And that was acceptable since it only affected two dozen
anglers, their families and a handful of news media. When Bobby
Murray won the inaugural Classic in 1971 on Lake Mead, a crowd
the size of a library book club was on hand to witness history
in the making, and the rest of the world was largely unaware
that it had even occurred.
Fast forward to 2002 and the 32nd Classic,
now sponsored by CITGO and held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic
Center July 25-27. Nearly 20,000 fishing fans are expected to
watch the daily weigh-ins in person; another 100,000 are likely
to walk through the turnstiles during the three days of the popular
Classic Outdoor Show.
Each year, families from across America
travel to the event that has become the bass fisherman's world
championship, amusement park and shopping paradise.
The Classic is now an important property
of sports giant ESPN, which gives it the kind of major-league
treatment that Scott and the sport's pioneers could never have
envisioned: same-day coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 and features
on the weekend ESPN2 outdoors block.
Members of the media from around the world
cover the Classic in person these days. And anyone with Internet
access can follow the daily weigh-ins at www.bassmaster.com.
While Bobby Murray was largely anonymous,
today's Classic champion is beseeched for autographs in airports,
invited to serve as grand master of parades and other sporting
events and even makes appearances on late night talk shows.
Few pros can attest to the extraordinary
evolution of the Classic as well as Gary Klein. The 43-year-old
Texas pro was a 20-year-old rookie when he qualified for the
1979 Classic on Oklahoma's Lake Texoma.
"The only people there were the contestants
and their immediate families," said Klein, who is competing
in his 20th Classic in Birmingham (only three other pros have
more Classics to their credit - Rick Clunn (28), Roland Martin
(24) and Larry Nixon (23). "We had no public. In fact, the
rest of the world didn't know the Classic was taking place.
"Back then, there's no way that I
could have envisioned that the Classic would turn out to be the
event that it is today, to the magnitude that we have today with
the live coverage, the Internet and TV and all of the hard work
that the press does to cover the Classic. It's so much more of
a sporting event than it's ever been. It's phenomenal now."
Ray Scott agrees.
"Of course I'm proud of how the Classic
has grown and what it's become," said Scott, the visionary
behind the sport's most important event. "From humble beginnings,
the Classic has grown into something that none of us old-timers
could have ever dreamed about."
The Classic is much more than just the
crowning event of the CITGO BASSMASTER Tournament Trail. Classic
Week is the annual celebration of the sport of bass fishing that
attracts B.A.S.S. members and other fishing fans from across
the country, who come to meet their fishing heroes, attend the
weigh-ins and participate in youth and other fan-friendly events.
The launch venue for the event will be
Paradise Point Marina. The exciting CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic
weigh-in show and the Classic Outdoor Show will take place in
the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. With the exception of
the launch site, all of the venues for the event are located
in close proximity.
By sanctioning over 20,000 tournaments
worldwide through its B.A.S.S. Federation, B.A.S.S. is the world's
largest fishing organization. The CITGO BASSMASTER Tournament
Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament
circuit. It continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism,
and sportsmanship after more than three decades. B.A.S.S. is
a wholly owned subsidiary of ESPN.
Sponsors of the 2002 CITGO BASSMASTERS
Classic include: CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Chevrolet Trucks,
Mercury Marine, Yamaha Outboards, Triton Boats, Skeeter Boats,
Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Kumho Tires,
Long John Silver's, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Bass Pro Shops,
Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools and B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa/First
USA.
Associate Sponsors include Bass Cat Boats
and G3 Boats.
The 2002 CITGO BASSMASTERS Classic will
be presented locally by the State of Alabama, City of Birmingham,
Jefferson County and Shelby County.
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