The nominees for the inaugural BassFan.com 6th Man/Woman Award are in. Four finalists were supposed to be announced this month, but due to the quality of the nominations, BassFan decided to go with this slightly expanded list.
In alphabetical order, the nominees are (those who nominated them will remain anonymous):
> Earl Bentz, President, Triton Boats
Reason: Going "above and beyond" in trying help ESPN's B.A.S.S. be successful.
> Cindy Bogan, National Account Manager, Fujifilm
Reason: Helping pro staff get a high level of visibility, and putting pros in front of youths.
> Terry Heist, Special Events Service Manager, Mercury Marine
Reason: "Very hard work" to keep Mercury pros on the water.
> Scot Laney, Executive Director, Professional Anglers Association
Reason: Efforts to get the leagues to work with the pros, and to get the pros to work together and stand firm.
> Bart Schad, VP of Marketing, Ranger Boats
Reason: Put together the NASCAR Team deal.
> Dave Simmons, Field Promotions Coordinator, Yamaha Marine
Reason: Increased media visibility of Team Yamaha pros.
> Joe Smith, Factory Crew, MotorGuide
Reason: Efforts "above and beyond" to keep all MotorGuide pros on the water.
Other Nominees
"The individuals nominated for the inaugural 6th Man/Woman Award represent a good cross-section of the industry," said Terry Brown, BassFan's chief sales/marketing officer. "I'm particularly glad to see two 'in the trenches' guys nominated, Joe Smith and Terry Heist. But in my opinion, any one of the nominees deserves to win for their efforts this year -- though we'll have to pick one."
Brown noted that others were nominated, but their nominations were thrown out because they didn't fit the criteria. These included Hunter Cole, B.A.S.S. director of sponsorships and television, for putting together the Busch deal; and Irwin Jacobs, for raising the prize money in FLW Tour events.
"These guys deserve accolades for what they have done and are doing," Brown said. "But the 6th Man/Woman Award is for recognizing people outside the leagues for their efforts."
Winner Next Month
Over the next few weeks BassFan.com staff will evaluate the nominees, and an announcement of the winner will be made in December.
The first BassFan.com 6th Man/Woman Award will be presented to the winner in 2003 at an as-yet unannounced venue. The award is being custom-designed for BassFan by high-end awards designer Midwest Trophy of Dell City, Okla.
Cindy Bogan was nominated for getting the Fujifilm team of pros in front of youths.
