Trailblazer Award Renamed After Ray Scott
Make room for another trailblazer, Davey Crockett.
The Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame is changing the name of its prestigious Trailblazer Award from the famous frontiersman to Alabama anglerRay Scott who will also be its first recipient.
Their own particular accomplishments and historic times may differ but their pioneering spirit and passion for the outdoors did not. Both Crockett and Scott boldly pressed the boundaries of their own particular worlds to explore new territory and forge new paths. They were men of vision, perseverance, and determination not content with the status quo.
“We felt Ray personified the spirit of Outdoor Legends in the modern era,” says Hall of Fame founder Garry Mason. “Davy Crockett opened a new frontier on America’s western boundary and Ray Scott opened a new frontier in the outdoor world for anglers when he founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S. and Bassmasters) and created the membership organization and national tournament trail that sparked the creation of the modern sports fishing industry.”
Scott’s organization reached a worldwide membership of more than half a million and its impact spawned a multi-billion dollar industry of fishing heroes, tackle, boats, marine accessories and more.
Mason says, “The Legends of the Outdoors Davy Crockett Trailblazer Award has been given to those truly unique individuals or companies who blazed a trail in the outdoor industry – achieving where others have failed all the while helping others to follow in their footsteps. The award will now be known as the Ray Scott American Trailblazer Award in honor of one of the greatest men that our industry has ever known. Ray is a giant of a man not only in stature and in legend but in heart.”
Other Davy Crockett Trailblazer Awards have included Crockett Mathis (a direct descendent of Crockett) Johnny Morris, Bethel University, Mike Stockdale, Wade Middleton and Morris Sheehan.
Scott also blazed trails in conservation seeking to preserve, protect – and improve – the fishing resource and environment he loved. Scott is particularly proud of his conservation credentials. “We invited all anglers to participate, he says. “We encouraged anglers to personally participate in conservation by fighting for clean waters and especially promoting catch-and-release. That practice has been recognized as one of the most successful conservation movements of the 20thcentury. I am so proud of our BASS anglers who led the way.”
Scott is also a lifetime hunter who has fished and hunted around the world and made multiple trips to Africa for big game. However, it was his love for his native whitetail that led to more trailblazing and yet another innovative new outdoor industry – nutrition products for whitetail deer.
His Whitetail Institute of North America researches and produces top-quality food plot products and other nutrition products to improve the quality of deer herds and consequently of hunting and deer management. “We’ve changed the landscape of hunting and the mindset of the hunter for the good,” says Scott.
The award ceremony for Scott and the inductees into the 2016 Hall of Fame will take place on the General Jackson Riverboat at Opryland on August 27.
This year’s inductees are Colorado Buck, TV host and professional hunter; Lucy Mize, professional angler; WR Sauey, co-founder of Flambeau Outdoors; Terry and Mark Drury, Founders of Drury Outdoors; George Thornton, CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation; and Fred Bear (posthumously), known as the “Father of Modern Bowhunting.”
The Banquet and Induction Ceremony begins at 10:15 a.m. and is open to the public with a $100 donation. More information at www.legendsoftheoutdoors.com
Don’t miss out the opportunity to own Ray Scott’s Legacy Lakes, which Jerry Ingram, Alabama Land Professional from National Land Realty, currently has listed for sale. This place will be a piece of history in years to come. It is without a doubt some of the best fishing and hunting land in Alabama…if, not the nation. Check it out here: Ray Scott Legacy Lakes
