Twelve people, including one Arkansas native, have officially been named on a ballot as nominees to be inducted into the 2024 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, according to a press release from the organization. This is the first time the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame has publicly listed the finalists for induction.
Comprising the list of candidates are a mix of dynamic personalities, on-the-water competitors, off-the-water innovators and trailblazers.
“From meetings and having conversations with key staff at the baseball, hockey and NASCAR halls of fame this past year, the main idea that came out of it all was to formally announce those individuals who are up for induction, as those three organizations do each year,” BFHOF President John Mazurkiewicz said. “While the final decision is now up to the Selection Panel, which possesses vast knowledge and awareness about the bass fishing industry and its history, as well as the living members of the Hall, it was a much-needed step by our Board to keep the induction process as transparent as possible.”
The 2024 ballot consists of (in alphabetical order):
- Fred Arbogast (Akron, Ohio)
- Don Iovino (Burbank, California)
- Mike McKinnis (Little Rock, Arkansas)
- Andy Morgan (Dayton, Tennessee)
- Takahiro Omori (Emory, Texas)
- Skeet Reese (Auburn, California)
- Lynn Reeves (Springfield, Missouri)
- Bill Taylor (Danville, Kentucky)
- Clark Wendlandt (Leander, Texas)
- Mike Whitaker (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
- Alfred Williams (Jackson, Mississippi)
- Mark Zona (Sturgis, Michigan)
The 30-member Hall of Fame Selection Panel and the 47 living members of the Hall will each vote for five of the nominees and rank them in order of preference with the top choice receiving five points, the second receiving four points and so on. The voting comes to an end on Friday, Feb. 9.
The Class of 2024 will be revealed by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors in March; the annual induction ceremony will take place at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, on Thursday, Sept. 26.
All nominees were selected for the 2024 ballot by the 11-member Nominations Committee after reviewing newly submitted nominations as well as candidates who were previously on the Hall’s master list of nominees. Any names that have never been placed on the final ballot after five years will be automatically removed but can be re-nominated.
“We’re very pleased with the ballot we presented to the Selection Panel for Hall of Fame consideration,” said Neil Paul, who chairs the Board’s nominations committee. “Our committee spent hours reviewing and discussing the nominees from our master list. Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the Hall of Fame by putting our best foot forward in this process of assembling a ballot of individuals that will contribute to the legacy of the Hall of Fame.”
To learn more about the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, click here.
