 An
Outdoors Legend
Bill Dance is an outdoors legend. For over 30
years, he has delivered fishing advice on television in his humorous,
off-beat way. To the avid fisherman, Bill represents the best that
fishing has to offer. Even for people who don't know much about
fishing, Bill Dance is the one name that stands out.
Bill's History
Bill has been an avid fisherman since his youth
in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Bill always dreamed of working in the fishing
industry and in his 20's he began to fish competitively. His fishing
ability was so great that he won over a third of his first 15 events,
and finished in the top 5 of the others. He used this success as a
springboard to a career in television.
"I was offered my first full-time position with
a nationally-known lure manufacturer," Bill says.. Among other things,
"they wanted me to develop and market a television fishing show....I
dove into the project headfirst."
But success didn't come easily. After a tour of
TV stations in the South, Bill came back rejected and discouraged. But
he didn't give up. Finally, a local ABC-TV affiliate told him that if
he found a sponsor, they would give the show a shot. He did and the
rest is fairly well-known.
Bill Dance Outdoors was born in 1968 and
progressed from a local to a regional and finally a national program.
Today, Bill Dance Outdoors is seen on
Versus.
"My success is also due to the superb efforts of
many talented people that I have worked with," Bill says. "But I also
know that it would never have come to pass, if I hadn't eliminated the
word "can't" from my vocabulary."
Bill's Accomplishments
- A member of the International Game Fishing
Association's Hall of
Fame
- 23 National Bass Titles
- 8-Time Bass Master Classic Qualifier
- 3-Time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year
(1969,1974, 1977)
- 1978 Congressional National Water Safety
Award
- 1986 National Freshwater Hall of Fame
- Biggest fish was a 13 lb. 2 oz. Largemouth
Bass.
- Wrote seven (7) fishing books plus many
articles in major outdoor magazines
- Spokesperson for at least 25 companies and
organizations
Bill's Personal History
Wife: Dianne
Children: Bill, Jr; Paul, Patrick and Pamela
Hometown: Collierville, Tennessee
Birthdate: 10/07/40
|
