Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--For many Mississippi State students, spring's arrival brings to mind baseball and charcoal grills fired up in the outfield at Dudy Noble Field.
For a smaller group of dedicated sports enthusiasts, spring means setting their sights in a far different direction from anything on the university campus. The eight-member MSU Bass Club is busy representing the university in the Collegiate Bass Angler Association--and looking to improve on a No. 3 national ranking scored last fall.
"When I heard about the CBAA, I saw it as an opportunity to do something I love while representing my university," said club president and co-founder Calvin S. "Cal" Clark.
"I have been around competitive fishing all of my life because my father was a competitive angler," the senior accounting major from Lawrenceburg, Tenn., explained. "I competed in my first tournament when I was five and I have been doing it ever since. I saw this as a chance to go to the next level and compete against other collegiate anglers."
The MSU Bass Club was founded last summer by Clark and close friend and fishing partner Sam Lawrence, a graduate student in agribusiness management from Jackson, Tenn. Since forming the group, they've been joined by six other students skilled enough to compete in tournaments around the country. Their ultimate goal is to qualify for the two premier championships: the ESPN Under Armour College Bass National Championship and the Fox College Sports National Championship.
In 2007, the MSU team placed fifth in the ESPN tournament and among the top 15 in Fox's championship. Its No. 3 national ranking came behind top-ranked Virginia Tech University and second-ranked Texas A&M University.
Other Top 20 Southeastern U.S. schools include the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, fourth; Faulkner State Community College (Bay Minette, Ala.), seventh; University of Arkansas, 11th; Arkansas Technological University, 12th; and University of Tennessee, Martin, 19th.
As the fishing Bulldogs prepare for their first 2008 tournament at Wheeler Lake in Alabama, Clark said one of the biggest challenges is funding. Because it's not a National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned sport, university funds are not available to assist with travel, lodging or equipment and supplies. As a result, members carry the bulk of the financial burden.
The Bass Club is not without support, however. As Clark proudly points out, at least one alumnus has been a big part of their successful competitive effort--a former student described by Clark as "passionate about all things MSU."
Ronald W. "Ron" Parker of McKinney, Texas, is a 1972 accounting graduate who now is chief executive officer of Lake Fork Trophy Lures. In addition to manufacturing a line of high-end bass lures, he also provides professional guide services on Lake Fork, a 27,200-acre compound located in the Lone Star State's northeast corner.
A former MSU Alumni Association and Bulldog Club board member with two daughters currently enrolled in Starkville, Parker learned of the MSU Bass Club's activities and saw it as another opportunity to merge his passion for fishing with his passion for his alma mater.
"One of my pro staffers told me about the collegiate tournament in Louisville, Texas, and that MSU had a team there," said Parker. "The next time I went to MSU, I tracked them down and have been helping them since.
"I told (the club members) that any time they needed help, 'I'm your guy and it is my pleasure and my passion to do so,'" the Charleston [Miss.] native continued. "Beyond my family, my friends and my faith, I can think of very few better things to do with my free time than to support MSU, whether it be athletics, academics or helping these guys with their sport."
Clark estimated that the team-member costs range $500-$1,000 each, not including the equipment necessary for tournament competitions. He also said Parker has provided team members with more than $2,000 in lures and tackle since last summer.
For more about the MSU Bass Club, contact adviser Whit Waide at 662-325-7860.
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Also, the CBAA Website is www.collegiatebass.org, and information on Lake Fork Trophy Lures is available at [toll-free] 800-408-2028 or lakeforktackle@verizon.net.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.