A Classic for the Ages
YOU CAN FINALLY put to rest the notion that local favorites can’t win national tournaments.
Ott DeFoe, born in Knoxville and raised on the waters of the Tennessee River and site of the 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, erased any conjecture about local angler jinxes.
He won the biggest of ’em all, and before a record-setting crowd.
Indeed, four of the last six Classic winners hailed from the state in which the Classic was held, but DeFoe became the first “local” to ever win the coveted Classic title.
“It’s a dream come true,” says DeFoe, who garnered the $302,500 check, pushing his B.A.S.S. earnings to $1,642,859.86. “All of my family and friends were there to see me do something I’ve always wanted to do.”
DeFoe caught 18 pounds, 14 ounces on the final day to seal the deal and finish with 49-3. Hoosier native and Tennessee resident Jacob Wheeler was second with 45-5, while Alabama’s Jesse Wiggins rallied from ninth place to finish third with 43-14. New Jersey veteran Mike Iaconelli was fourth with 42-9 and Alabamian Mark Daniels Jr.
