Hank Parker is a well-known professional bass fisherman in the United States. In 1979, and 1989, the native of

Maiden, North Carolina Maiden is a town in Catawba and Lincoln counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 3,310 at the 2010 census. Maiden was the first public high school in the state with an observatory and is currently home to an Apple iClou ...

won two

Bassmaster Classic The Bassmaster Classic (known as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic for sponsorship) is a tournament in the sport of professional bass fishing. It was first held in 1971 on Lake Mead, Nevada. Originally it was a fall event, (1971-1983 ...

tournaments, the biggest event in his sport. He is one of only four anglers to win the event more than once. Additionally, he was the first angler to win the Grand Slam of competitive bass fishing which includes the Classic, B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year in 1983, and B.A.S.S. SuperBass Tournament in April 1985. Hank finished in the money in 76% of B.A.S.S. tournaments he fished. Parker teamed up with Michael Runnels to create '' Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine'' in 1984, and debuted on January 12, 1985 on

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On Septembe ...

cable channel. Notable show guests have included

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football. Jackson's el ...

Tony Dungy Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams be ...

, numerous members of the

U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

and many more. The program now airs on

Outdoor Channel Outdoor Channel is an American pay television channel focused on the outdoors, offering programming that includes hunting, fishing, Western lifestyle, off-road motorsports and adventure. The network can be viewed on multiple platforms including ...

and

Pursuit Channel Pursuit Channel is an American television network that airs programming geared to hunting, fishing, shooting and outdoor recreation. It is based in Glenwood, Alabama and was launched on April 23, 2008. Pursuit is currently available to over 45 m ...

; it has previously aired on Versus (formerly OLN/Outdoor Life Network),

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

and TNN, The Nashville Network (now Spike TV). In 1983, Parker was named B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. Parker also lent his name and likeness to a fishing video game titled '' Bassin's Black Bass with Hank Parker'', released in 1994 for the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...

, in which the player must earn their way onto the pro bass fishing tour in order, where they ultimately compete against Parker. Parker also tried to qualify in three

NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...

races in 1994, but did not make any of them. Parker lives in

Union County, South Carolina Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,244. Its county seat is Union. The county was created in 1785. Union County is coterminous with the Union, SC, Micropolitan Sta ...

, with his wife, Martha. He has four sons: Hank Parker Jr. and Billy Parker, who have both driven in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, Ben Parker, who is fishing the 2015 Rayvoc FLW Series, Timothy Parker, who is a fighter on the

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

circuit, and a daughter named Lucy Parker who is a professional photographer. Additionally, Hank and Martha have 13 grandchildren. Over the years, Hank has been honored by being inducted in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame. After 30 years of television Hank's track record of integrity is shown in that he still has partnerships with many of the companies he started with including

Ranger Boats Ranger Boats are a popular line of bass fishing boats designed primarily for black bass fishing. Since launching, the company has expanded their line of boats to offer recreational options as well. The company has fiberglass boats, but with the mod ...

Mercury Marine Mercury Marine is a marine engine division of Brunswick Corporation headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The main product line is outboard motors. It also produces the MerCruiser line of sterndrives and inboard motors. Some manufacturi ...

and more.

References

External links

* Living people American fishers American hunters NASCAR team owners Year of birth missing (living people) American television personalities Male television personalities People from Maiden, North Carolina {{US-TV-bio-stub

See also

References

External links