Today in 1982 Bassmaster Classic Contenders we’re going to look at the anglers who qualified for the 12th BASS Masters Classic, again to be held on Montgomery Lake, or better known as the Alabama River. This would be the second year in a row the event would be held on the river but this year, B.A.S.S. opened up 20 more miles of river to the contestants.
The field consisted of 15 of the top anglers from the Angler of the Year race, plus the top-10 anglers from both the East and West “Leagues.” In the event of double qualifying, B.A.S.S. reserved the right to go down the line in the “Leagues” to fill the ten spots. Also included in the qualifiers from the pro side was Stanley Mitchell, the 1981 Defending Classic Champion.
This brought the total number of anglers from the pro ranks to 36.
On the amateur side, each Federation Chapter Division, five in total, provided their top anger, decided from a Division Fish-off.
Amongst the qualifying anglers on the pro side were many names you’d expect to see in the biggest of all bass tournaments. Of the 36 pros, 28 of them had fished at least one Classic before, while Ricky Green had qualified for 11-straight Classics, including 1982. Here’s a breakdown of the number of multi-Classic qualifiers. Numbers include qualifying for the 1982 Classic.
- 11-Time Qualifiers (2): Roland Martin, Ricky Green (record 11-straight)
- 10-Time Qualifiers (0)
- 9-Time Qualifiers (1): Rick Clunn,
- 8-Time Qualifiers (2): Tommy Martin, Bo Dowden,
- 7-Time Qualifiers (1): Bill Ward
- 6-Time Qualifiers (2): Larry Nixon, Jimmy Houston
- 5-Time Qualifiers (3): Harold Allen, Hank Parker, Basil Bacon
- 4-Time Qualifiers (2): Jerry Rhyne, Charlie Campbell
- 3-Time Qualifiers (10): Cliff Craft, Ron Shearer, Guy Eaker, Jack Chancellor, Paul Elias, Blake Honeycutt, Jack Westberry, Kenneth Walker, Marvin Baker, David Wharton
- 2-Time Qualifiers (5): Stanley Mitchell, Linwood Thornhill, Ken Cook, Randy Behringer, George Bowman
- Rookies (8): Kelous “Bub” Kizer, Ronnie Young, Billy Noah, Billy Lewis, Tom Jurkewicz, Denny Brauer, Lonnie Stanley, Maurice Jackson
Of the Federation qualifiers, all were rookies but there are two standouts in here that you all should recognize, at least in name. Those were James Dudley and Van Kennedy.
James Dudley is the father of David Dudley, 4-time FLW AOY and winner of more than 4-million dollars in earning across two circuits.
To continue on with the father-son duos we have Van Kennedy, father of 3-time Elite Series winner Steve Kennedy.
The rest of the Federation anglers consisted of Danny Ashley, Larry Ummel, John Lawson. Unfortunately, there was nothing written up in the Bassmaster Magazines I have that talked about the Federation Divisionals. If anyone out there has the BASS Times from that year, please let us know by leaving a comment below.
That’s about all I have regarding the qualifiers. Thankfully B.A.S.S. and Bassmaster Magazine did a great job on the angler bios, which are posted down below. They are ordered according to the AOY Race and then move to the order they were taken from the Eastern League and Western League, respectively.
The final part of this series will cover the 1982 BASS Masters Classic. To read Part 1, Part 2, and the introduction to The Hemphill Gang, click the respective links.
