LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Four days after his yearlong reign as the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion officially ended, Randy Howell was still working hard, spreading his message of hope.
“You can be as busy as you want to be,” said Howell, in explaining what 2015 Classic champ Casey Ashley could expect in the coming year. “This past year was the busiest year I’ve ever had. I made more appearances than I’ve ever made before.”
It’s a safe bet that Howell worked harder over the last year than any previous Bassmaster Classic champion. And he’s still at it. Howell was the guest speaker at the 10th annual Immanuel Baptist Church Wild Game Supper here the week after the 2015 Classic ended in Greenville, S.C.
(See photos from the wild game supper here.)
Sure, in the past year he has helped his sponsors by showing up at boat and tackle shows around the country. Howell, 41, felt it was an obligation to pay back the companies that had supported him in his B.A.S.S. career that began in 1993 when he was 19 years old.
“I didn’t go out and make just a ton of money,” Howell said. “I took care of the people that have taken care of me. I felt like I gave them a good return on their investment.”
But Howell also had a higher calling that motivated him to work harder than he ever has before, hence this speaking engagement in Little Rock.
Howell’s faith
If you know anything about Randy Howell, you know that he has a strong Christian faith. And you probably know the story about how Howell listened to “a voice” that directed him to scrap his initial plans on the final day of the Classic at Lake Guntersville. It was at this unplanned location, the Spring Creek Bridge on Lake Guntersville, where he caught a five-bass limit of 29 pounds, 2 ounces, and rose from 11th place to victory.
But Howell’s testimony is strengthened by other stories from his life, some you may not be so familiar with, some that carried tough lessons that ended in tears rather than trophy-lifting moments.
Howell embraced Christianity early in his life, spurred by his mother.
“My mom had almost like a hospital ministry,” Howell said. “She helped people in hospitals and nursing homes. I grew up doing that with her when I was a kid, so I’ve always had that instilled in me.”
Randy and his wife, Robin, met when they attended a Christian-affiliated school in North Carolina. They married at age 18, a year after graduation.
Howell’s parents bought a marina on Lake Gaston when he was young. He was guiding and fishing tournaments at age 11. So the idea of becoming a professional bass fisherman was his goal from early on.
When he was old enough to seriously pursue that goal, his Christian faith was tested almost immediately. He had been suffering from ulcerative colitis since high school, but the occasional abdominal cramping had been manageable. Howell was fishing a bass tournament in Georgia, trying to become – at age 19 – the youngest qualifier ever for the Red Man All-American, when he started throwing up blood.
Howell rushed back to North Carolina. Emergency surgery discovered three holes in his large intestine. His leaking gut left him near death from peritonitis. Two-thirds of his colon was removed.
“Just like that everything had changed,” said Howell, who saw his long-planned opportunity for a pro fishing career vanishing.
Two major surgeries at the Duke University Medical Center – surgeries previously performed several months apart and requiring a two-year recovery time – were done in January and February of 1993. Howell healed remarkably quickly. He competed in his first B.A.S.S. tournament in May ’93.
“God taught me so much through this time of tribulation,” Howell has said many times. “If I had never gone through any of this I would probably be just another lackadaisical Christian doing my thing and never caring about anybody else.”
It was after that experience when Howell started speaking at church functions and sharing his testimony. But Howell’s life lessons were just beginning.
Helping others
In 1998 Howell won an FLW tournament with a first place prize of $100,000. He was admittedly feeling a bit prideful when he was signing autographs at a boat dealership the next year. A friend approached him. Howell asked how he was going. The man said things weren’t going well in his life. Howell kept signing autographs and mentioned getting together to talk later. Shortly afterward, Howell was brought to his knees when he heard the man had committed suicide.
“The Lord for some reason put him across my path at his darkest moment,” Howell said. “But my pride got in the way. That was the turning point in my spiritual life. I was all in after that.”
In 2002, Howell’s pride level was tested again. It was shortly after Laker, the first of his two sons had been born. Robin and the newborn were going to travel with Randy to an Elite Series tournament in a town and state that shall remain anonymous in this story.
“There was only one good hotel there, and I was determined to have a nice room for Robin and the baby,” Howell recalled.
Howell had made reservations. When they arrived, the hotel apologized for over-booking before telling them no rooms were available. Finally he found a real estate agent who knew about a “fabulous” house available to rent for $500 a week.
Howell agreed to take it. But as they followed the real estate agent to the home, it seemed less and less like a wise choice. When they arrived they found a nice house surrounded by a slum, basically.
“I told Robin that we couldn’t stay there. My boat trailer tires will be gone in the morning,” Howell recalled.
But Robin didn’t agree, so they stayed. That night Howell went out to the boat to work on his fishing tackle. A man walked out of his house and approached Howell, saying, “What’s this fancy boat all about?”
Howell explained he was a pro bass fisherman. The man didn’t know such a thing existed.
“It was really awkward,” Howell said. “Then this guy said, ‘I’ll tell you what I am. I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict.’
“So I put my rod down and said, ‘Tell me about it.'”
The man was in absolute despair. His wife and children had left him. He had nothing much to live for. Howell listened and shared some of his story, then the man apologized for bothering him and went back to his house.
Howell told Robin what had happened. She suggested giving the man their copy of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Randy initially resisted, saying, “But I haven’t read it yet.” Robin convinced him it was the right thing to do.
Howell walked to the man’s front door, had a brief conversation with him and handed him the book. Howell didn’t see him again that week.
There are many more details to this story, but this is how it concludes: Two years later, Howell got a letter from the man. That night had changed his life. He had stayed awake all evening reading the book. He had since gotten clean and sober and was leading a productive life. The letter was a thank you note. The man wrote that he had planned to commit suicide that evening until Howell knocked on his door and handed him the book.
Did God put another man experiencing his darkest hour in Randy Howell’s path?
Some might say it was simply “the arbitrary posing successfully as the inevitable.” Others believe “coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous,” as the saying goes.
There is no question what Randy Howell believes. And thanks to the 2014 Bassmaster Classic title, he has had more and more opportunities to share those beliefs.
“I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs in my life,” Howell said. “But I’ve always had an inner strength that comes from the Lord. It’s real.
“Winning the Classic did give me a platform to reach a lot more people. And I know that’s why that Classic happened like it did.”