Here’s our list of 30 outdoor and sporting icons for the ages who have had a profound impact on hunting, fishing and the environment.
From the 2011 anniversary collector’s issue of Sporting Classics
During the past century the outdoor world has been influenced by countless individuals. Fueled by passion, dedication and a true love for the wildlife and wild places that have steered the focus of their lives, these people have molded the present and set a course for the future.
Lists like this never contain all the many deserving people whose efforts and accomplishments should be celebrated and remembered by all outdoor enthusiasts. Individuals like John Muir, whose preservation ideals influenced the conservation debate, and Gary Barta, who led the team that created the first handheld GPS unit at Magellan. Along those same lines, an engineer at Honda, Osamu Takeuchi, developed the first ATV and Dr. Martin Cooper, inventor of the handheld cell phone, changed the way we spend time in the outdoors. Of course, we would also have included Ernest Hemingway, but considered him appropriately saluted in the special biography that appears later in our anniversary issue.
Many other sportsmen and non-sportsmen alike with foresight, entrepreneurship and innovation significantly influenced our favorite pastimes. This is not a list meant to discount their contributions. It is our hope that the examples of these outdoor enthusiasts will inspire the rest of us to believe in the possibilities that lie beyond tomorrow.
Conservation & Stewardship
George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938)
“The conquering of difficulties is one of the chief joys of life.”
If there is a father of the hunter-conservationist, then his name is George Bird Grinnell. His words, in private, in public, and on paper, called for sportsmen to spearhead the greatest conservation movement in world history.
Key Pittman (1872-1940) and A. Willis Robertson (1887-1971)
At the urging of sportsmen, Congress passed the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 and created an excise tax on certain sporting goods to be distributed to state fish and game departments for wildlife restoration. Today, in combination with the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (excise tax on sportfishing equipment), the legislation has apportioned more than $12.9 billion back to the states.
Jay “Ding” Darling (1876-1962)
“How rich will we be when we have converted all our forests, all our soil, all our water resources and minerals into cash?”
“Ding” Darling’s political cartoons brought awareness and spurred national debate on conservation issues, and his passion led directly to millions of acres of preserved habitat.
Herbert Stoddard (1889-1970)
“Land management is an art that builds on history and is based in science.”
A pioneer in land and wildlife management based on scientific study, Herbert Stoddard’s ideas on the conservation of bobwhite quail and, more importantly, to the forests in which they live, laid the foundation for our approach to habitat management today, including the ecological role of fire and selective-cut forest management. His first book, The Bobwhite Quail: Its Habits, Preservation, and Increase, is considered “the quail bible.”
Sigurd Olson (1899-1982)
“To countless thousands, wilderness has become a spiritual necessity.”
Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Voyagers National Park, Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, and the Wilderness Act of 1964 defining wilderness and creating the National Wilderness Preservation System can all be traced back to Sigurd Olson’s efforts. The plain and lyrical prose in his nine books continues to inspire any outdoor enthusiast lucky enough to discover them.
Lee (1905-1991) and Joan Wulff (1926)
“A game fish is too valuable to be caught only once.”
Innovators. Teachers. The definition of sportsmen. Lee and Joan Wulff, the parents of catch-and-release fishing, did more to create a sustained interest in fly fishing than anyone before or since. Their influence changed the way many anglers perceive a successful day on the water.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
“The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.”
It took someone connected to the rhythms and ways of wild creatures and places to understand they had greater value than mere exploitation and to realize the need to conserve them for future generations. President Roosevelt brought forth the idea of conservation when America was on the verge of losing more than its animals and forests—it was on the verge of losing its soul. He set aside millions of acres, thus ensuring our ability to taste the true freedom of wild places.
Aldo Leopold (1887-1948)
“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.”
A pioneer in wildlife management, Aldo Leopold’s intimate connection with wildlife and wild places through hunting fueled his lifelong quest to discover the conservation practices he hoped would one day lead to a time when, in his own words, “we may begin to use it (the land) with love and respect.”
Art, Culture & Literature
Robert Ruark (1915-1965)
“There is not much personal adventure left in this world—not many boyhood dreams that lose nothing, but rather gain by fulfillment. So I combined two dreams in one; I was on a safari, and I was going to write about it.”
Arguably the most popular and influential writer of his time, Robert Ruark’s words transcend generations. His brutal honesty, his ability to capture the heart of a moment, and his understanding of human nature, both good and bad, give us a glimpse of who we are as well as who we could be. He showed us the true spirit of an African safari. Through the Old Man, he reminded us that our mentors leave us with responsibility as well as wisdom and memories. Ruark was more than a writer—he was a man who told stories and told them exceedingly well.
Zane Grey (1872-1939)
“Surely the best virtue of fishermen is their hopefulness.”
Zane Grey wrote with passion—an angler’s passion. He may have done more to popularize big game fishing than any other writer of the 20th century.
Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878-1960)
“Life is short and Art is long and no one ever lives long enough to be able to say, ‘I have arrived at perfection.’”
The New York Times called him the “Audubon of his time.” During his career he produced more than 100 covers for Field & Stream and numerous others for Saturday Evening Post, Boy’s Life, Better Homes and Gardens, Rotarian, and many more. He also illustrated more than 50 books. Why so popular? He had the ability to capture the visions of sportsmen.
Nash Buckingham (1880-1971)
“Tell me, if you can, of anything that’s finer than an evening in camp with a rare old friend and a dog after one’s heart.”
Few writers, sporting or otherwise, have had the ability to convey the honest relationship between hunters. When Nash Buckingham told his tales, you got to know his characters by how they talked, how they looked, and how they acted. Nash’s friends became your friends—now that’s talent.
Archibald Rutledge (1883-1973)
“While no hunter can ever hope to relive the past except in memory, yet the great sport of hunting remains one of the hardiest and most honorable known to man.”
More than any other writer, Archibald Rutledge could reach into our hearts to help us remember the best of ourselves.
Eugene Connett III (1891-1969)
“There is no article that can become so dear to the young sportsman as his gun: and there is no gun that he will ever own that can quite take the place in his affections that is filled by his first gun.”
Eugene Connett wrote a number of fine sporting books, but he is best known as the founder of arguably the most influential sporting book publishing company of all time, The Derrydale Press. The list of authors and artists published by Derrydale is a who’s who of the early 1900s.
Bob Wehle (1920-2002)
“The dog breeders of today . . . are merely temporary custodians of the breeds handed down to us by the last generation of breeders and which we, in turn, shall hand on to the next generation. We, collectively, are entrusted with the care, protection and preservation of this very valuable heritage during our lifetime.”
There are pointers – and then there’s the Elhew pointer, the standard by which all other bird dogs are judged. A man of immense energy and vision, Bob Wehle devoted a lifetime to creating this paradigm, and discerning sportsmen everywhere continue to reap the benefits. – Tom Davis
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007)
“You can be totally faithful to nature, but you do so at the sacrifice of any potential for art.”
Every wildlife artist will tell you that his goal is not merely to portray an animal but to lay bare its character and thereby reveal some essential truth. By this standard – and by any other you can think of – Bob Kuhn had no peers. He combined profound knowledge of his subjects with an uncannily intuitive ability to select the details that matter and eliminate the ones that don’t. The result? Magic. To stand in the presence of a Bob Kuhn painting is to come as close as modern man can come to experiencing the awe and wonder our ancient ancestors felt as, by the light of flickering torches, they beheld the animals on the walls at Lascaux. – Tom Davis
Gene Hill (1928-1997)
“No one can fully understand the meaning of love unless he’s owned a dog. A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes.”
Gene Hill’s honest, humble words reminded us of who we want to be. More than anyone else, he put into words our love of dogs and gave us a better understanding of their unyielding devotion to us.
Innovation, Commerce & Technology
James Heddon (1845-1911)
“A fish caught on a single hook is likely to take it into his gullet. The result is a dangerous wound from which he dies. The shape of my bait is such that a fish cannot swallow it. Thus, all the wounds are limited to the lips.”
James Heddon whittled away on a piece of wood, slapped a hook on it and tossed it into the water. When a bass hammered it, the casting plug was born. Many recreations of his numerous lure designs are still used for fishing around the globe.
John Browning (1855-1926)
“The time and place for a gunmaker just got together on this corner. And I happened along.”
The most innovative and prolific gunmaker of all time with
128 gun patents – many still in production. Without his machine guns would the Allies have prevailed in WWII? His designs changed the firearms industry forever and very possibly the course of history.
Leon Leonwood Bean (1872-1967)
“To my mind hunting and fishing is the big lure that takes us into the great open spaces and teaches us to forget the mean and petty things of life.”
Wet, sore feet can ruin a hunt. When Leon Leonwood Bean decided to do something about it, he began a journey toward one of America’s great success stories, L.L. Bean. He gave sportsmen what they wanted and treated them the way he would want to be treated – the simple and perfect recipe for success.
Holless Wilbur Allen (1880-1966)
“What if I positioned the pulley’s pivot hole off-center?”
All great innovations begin with a question. After Holless Wilbur Allen asked himself how to get an arrow into a deer’s kill-zone faster, he invented the compound bow. Has anything revolutionized bowhunting more?
Fred Bear (1902-1998)
“I feel like one of God’s chosen people, having had the opportunity to share with many fine companions, these varied and lovely realms of our natural world.”
Fred Bear’s innovative products transformed the archery industry. His words and actions guided a generation of hunters. And his spirit still inspires us today.
William B. Ruger (1916-2002)
“Whenever anything great is created, it is the outcome of someone’s convictions.”
Bill Ruger knew what we wanted in a firearm often before we knew it ourselves. What’s more, he knew how to develop it. Many of this century’s great designs are his.
Jack O’Connor (1902-1978)
“It is my notion that it will be some time before a better cartridge than the .270 makes its bow.”
We loved him for his ability to capture adventure. We respected him for his honest opinion. He taught us that shot placement trumps caliber, and he revealed the land where sheep live – where a man’s heart can soar.
Dick (1936-2014) and Jim Cabela (1939)
“All we did was live our lives.”
Fifty years ago Dick and Jim Cabela took a handful of flies, a deep love of the outdoors, and a belief that the combination of freedom and hard work made anything possible. Their story epitomizes the unique American experience.
Rex Carr (1916-2002)
“If we cannot subject ourselves to the demands of strict accuracy and precise performance, then we must be content with second-rate rewards.”
In the history of retriever training Rex Carr was the fulcrum, the man who revolutionized it both in principle and in practice and forever changed the way the retriever game is played. The ultimate trainer of trainers and the acknowledged “father” of electronic training, he was, quite simply, the greatest innovator the sport has ever known. Almost to a man, today’s top trainers will tell you that what they do is essentially just a tweaked and amped-up version of Carr’s program – Rex Carr 2.0, you might call it. – Tom Davis
Ray Scott (1933)
“I remember thinking: After all these years it was still a thrill. What a sport. What a fish.”
When Ray Scott founded B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), he changed the future of an entire industry. Anglers became celebrities and interest in the sport skyrocketed, prompting widespread innovation in gear, techniques and safety.
Johnny Morris (1947)
“I was looking for an excuse to stay close to fishing.”
Johnny Morris started selling fishing gear from his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri. From that humble start, Bass Pro Shops grew to one of the world’s best-known outdoor companies. Morris has been recognized many times as one of America’s leading conservationists.
Bill Jordan (1949)
“I sat in my parents’ front yard with paper and colored pencils and sketched and shaded the bark pattern of an old oak tree.”
One of the pioneers in functional camouflage, Bill Jordan has spent his career innovating and promoting his Realtree line. Through his popular television shows, he has helped spark the modern frenzy for whitetail hunting and conservation and has inspired a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts.
Anthony Galazan (1960)
“I set out to combine what I believe are the best mechanics and aesthetic features from a lot of different guns and re-engineer everything to make it all fit.”
Tony Galazan resurrected the American double. With the Fox, the Parker, the Winchester 21 and the A. Galazan, he successfully blended elegance, beauty and performance. His guns are art we can use with confidence.
Cover image: Ernest Hemingway with a marlin
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