“ If he ’ d wavered or said it might be a problem , I wasn ’ t going to worry about it ; I just wasn ’ t going to fish it . But he assured me that we were more than welcome .”
Although Williams speaks about the racial inequality of those times with grace , his first brush with the world of tournament bass fishing came around the same time Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth ’ s home run record and received hundreds of thousands of hate mail letters and death threats for beating a white man ’ s mark . It was also not long after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr . in 1968 and his mother , Alberta King , in 1974 .
“ We were a little nervous about it all ,” Williams admitted . “ My wife , Gracie , and I were raised in the South and just knew how things were back then . But just hearing the tournament director say how glad they would be for us to come eased our nerves a bit .”
Williams excitedly rigged his tackle and got geared up , then he and Gracie dressed to the nines and headed to the pre-tournament banquet .
“ Back then , there was a banquet the night before every tournament , and those banquets were huge social gatherings ,” Williams said . “ We walked into our first banquet at this fancy , exclusive restaurant — there must have been 400 to 500 people in there — and when we walked through the door , you could have heard a pin drop . Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at us . We looked around and saw an empty table and found a seat .”
What happened next was a pivotal moment for the Williamses and a turning point in bass fishing history .
“ We had barely gotten seated when a well-dressed white gentleman walked up to our table ,” Williams said . “ We watched him approach with a little apprehension , and he said , ‘ You don ’ t know me , but I see you catching fish behind my house out on the [ Ross
Classic , and I really wanted to fish that tournament ,” Williams explained . “ So , I looked over the application and thought about it for a while , then called the number to talk to the tournament director .
“ I said , ‘ Listen , I ’ m calling about this tournament , and I really want to fish this event ,’ and he said they ’ d be happy to have me . I said , ‘ Well , look , I ’ m Black — do you guys have any problems with me fishing this event ?’
“ I won ’ t ever forget his response ,” Williams continued . “ He said , ‘ You are absolutely welcome . This tournament is for the Heart Association , and it ’ s for everybody . If you want to fish it , send your application in , and if anybody says anything to you about fishing it , you call me . We want you to fish .’
40
“ Those tranquil moments would prove pivotal for Williams as he learned to navigate an uncertain world with quiet grace and got his first glimpse into a sport he would grow to love for the next 70 years .”
Barnett ] reservoir all the time . My wife and I would be honored if y ’ all would come over and sit at our table and have dinner with us .’ And of course we did , and that broke the ice .
“ He was the general manager for a well-known car dealer and was on television commercials and well respected . Everyone in the room went back to talking and socializing , and from that day on , he and I were really , really good friends up until he passed away .”
MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024