David Simmons, field promotions coordinator for Yamaha Marine, is the winner of the first-ever BassFan 6th Man/Woman Award. Simmons was chosen by the BassFan staff after a lot of deliberation and consideration of the 2002 achievements of all of this year's candidates.

"David epitomizes what we designed this award for," said Terry Brown, BassFan's chief sales and marketing officer. "It's about unselfish efforts on behalf of the team, and putting the objectives of the team first. David embodies that for Yamaha and Yamaha pros."

Humbled

"I am completely humbled by this award from BassFan.com, but I'm proud of it too," Simmons said. "We here at Yamaha try to do our very best at everything we do, and to be recognized as the best in your class not only by J.D. Power but also by BassFan.com is the best."

Simmons didn't want to keep the credit for his achievement to himself, however. "I don't do anything by myself," he said. "It takes this great team at Yamaha to get it done."

Everything is a team effort at Yamaha, he said. "We support both the FLW and B.A.S.S. tours and our staff is second to none. From displays to tournaments, our team is never satisfied. Kim Nalley, my boss and the promotions manager at Yamaha, always tells us to never be satisfied. She instills excitement and creativity in everything we do."

Simmons added that "it's really humbling to mentioned with the other 6th Man Award finalists. I've had the opportunity to work with some of them and have learned from all of them. There's a lot of knowledge and experience there, and not trying to pick up on it would be a big mistake."

Pro Staff Helped

Yamaha's powerful pro staff also played a key part in Yamaha's success this year, he noted. Yamaha pros had several wins and Top 10 finishes on both tours, notably Jay Yelas' win of both the FLW Angler of the Year and the BASSMASTERS Classic.

"I feel like I've hitched my car to the Yamaha train and the Yamaha pros are the engine," Simmons said. "Guys like Alton Jones, Jay Yelas, Clark Wendlandt and Dean Rojas, to name a few, inspire me. I can remember standing in line for 2 hours just to get their autographs, and now I get to work with them. I'm thankful for the chance that Yamaha gave me and for BassFan for giving me this award. Being a BassFan myself, this award is even more special."

Why and How He Won

Simmons was nominated for the 6th Man Award for his success in bringing a higher level of visibility to the Yamaha pro staff and brand, notably through the distinctive blue-and-white tour shirts and caps worn by Yamaha pros. This year these pros -- and thus the Yamaha brand -- have enjoyed more visibility than ever before.

The new look didn't happen by accident. He said: "We were looking to increase brand identity and raise the visibility of the Yamaha pro staff. The look we have came partially from our other lines, was endorsed by our pro staff and without question has reaped us great benefits.

"Initially, Dean Rojas said to me that it was up to me to make the anglers look good and not like anybody else. I took that as a challenge, and with Dean's and the team's input we put together what you see today."

Simmons Factoids

> Simmons has been in promotions at Yamaha for 3 years, and his main responsibility is support at B.A.S.S and FLW events and in-house promotions. "I do just about everything you can do at a tournament except work on the motors, which fortunately doesn't happen very often," he said.

> "I don't really have corporate ladder aspirations. That's never been my motivation. The way the sport has matured, the last thing I want to do is not be directly in touch with it. The driving factor in getting me here was having a real passion for fishing. The path right out of college for me was to try to utilize my marketing degree along with my knowledge of the business of fishing and my respect for the pros. I thought if I could get an opportunity to do that, I would never change it."

> "I was pretty relentless with the Bass Pro Shops catalog in Springfield, Mo. and decided to move out there right after graduation (from the University of Tennessee). I guess they figured they had to at least give me chance or put up with me bugging them every day. They gave me a foot in the door, and to a bright-eyed kid it was nothing but opportunity. I wouldn't trade those first 5 years of my career for anything. When the opportunity to join the Yamaha team was presented to me (at the time he was field promotions manager for Nitro/Tracker Marine), it was awesome and things have really started to gel. Hopefully I have provided a good return to Yamaha as they have got me on the playing field of both FLW and B.A.S.S."

> "The core strength of being a 6th man is to be somewhat of a bridge between the company and the pros," he noted. "One of my strengths is that I'm comfortable in an office and in a bass club meeting in a bowling alley."

> "I guess the ultimate goal for me would be to be able to really raise the bar on the promotions position I have. Exceeding expectations and making people say 'wow' is the greatest reward. I feel like I have delivered some great things, but there certainly is room for improvement."

Notable

> "I'd really like to thank my mother, Carolyn Simmons," Simmons said. "She provided the encouragement and support to be able to pursue this type of work. It took some convincing, but one trip for her to the BASS Masters Classic and she immediately went from questioning the industry to challenging me to be a part of it. Growing up, I witnessed her be a 6th woman for the governor of Michigan. Every day she worked behind the scenes so the superstar could do his job well. Everything she did was so inspiring. She set the utmost example of being a professional. With her recent passing last January, I'd like to accept the award in her memory."

> "The 6th man in basketball can be one of the most crucial positions on a team," Brown noted. "They can give a team a spark off the bench, pick up the starters during the game in crucial situations, provide depth needed for the long season and most importantly, provide leadership for the non-starters. The same can be said for 6th men and women in fishing. These invaluable contributors rarely get any ink or glamour, but definitely get a ton of work and long hours. Bass fishing has not recognized these important people until now."

> "Everyone here at BassFan congratulates Dave for what he's accomplished this year," said BassFan president Jay Kumar. "Hopefully his success will motivate everyone else in this industry to step up their efforts. I'd also like to congratulate all of this year's nominees, and we hope to see them nominated again after the 2003 season."

> Simmons will receive a personalized 6th Man Award created by Midwest Trophy of Dell City, Okla.

> This year Yamaha won the first J.D. Power and Associates quality award ever given for outboards.