LEWISVILLE, Texas (June 9th, 2021) Academy Sports + Outdoors held its second annual celebrity fishing tournament this week ahead of the 51st Bassmaster Classic in Fort Worth, Texas. Athletes, celebrities, country music stars, and members of the bass community hit the water to battle for the top spot with Deion Sanders ‘s team edging out the competition to take home the title. The winning team presented their charity of choice, Tiger Fund Athletic Foundation, with a $5,000 check from Academy. All other participants were given $1,000 to their respective non-profits as well.
SEC Network and ESPN reporter Marty Smith kicked off the event on Lake Lewisville Wednesday morning. The six teams were led by pro bass anglers who worked hard to put their teams atop the leaderboard.
Deion Sanders’s team reeled in the winning Largemouth Bass weighing in at 3 lbs 6 oz on an H2O XPRESS Tac 40 spinning rod paired with an H2O Mettle spinning reel. The cumulative total weight in Sanders’s boat of 12 lbs 8 oz put Deion and his partners Sydnie Wells, James Hall, and Bassmaster Pro Greg Hackney in first-place at the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Celebrity Tournament.
This year’s field of anglers included NFL Hall of Famer and Jackson State Head Football Coach Deion Sanders, former NFL star and current ESPN talent Marcus Spears, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, country music artist Jimmie Allen, and country music duo Maddie & Tae. These celebrities joined Greg Hackney and other members of the bass community at the event.
Academy is the title sponsor of the upcoming Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, where 55 of the world’s best bass anglers will compete on the storied waters of North Texas’ Lake Ray Roberts.
Academy Sports + Outdoors has 30 locations across North Texas, where customers can find a wide assortment of fishing products including rods and reels, baits, lures, fish finders, tackle, storage, waders, kayaks, sunglasses, fishing apparel, footwear, and more. For store locations and to shop Academy’s selection of fishing products, customers can visit academy.com.
About Academy
Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states. Academy’s mission is to provide “Fun for All” and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 19 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings.
Media Contacts
Jen Ripple: (734) 846-3708, jenr@gunpowderinc.com
Caitlin Heimerdinger (262) 844-1229, caitlink@gunpowderinc.com
Kalvyn Ferronato (805) 256-4161, kalvynf@gunpowderinc.com
