When I say those two words — Super Dave — it probably does not ring a bell with too many. But within the confines of hardcore B.A.S.S. tournament anglers, they know I am speaking of Dave Smith from Oklahoma. Super Dave passed away last week leaving his fingerprints on the bass tournament fishing industry in a big way.
Dave Smith grew up in the Shoals area of Alabama near the Tennessee River. A tall individual, Dave earned a basketball scholarship to Oklahoma Christian College and ended up settling there after college. He started coaching boys high school basketball, and at the same time, built trophies in his basement. He once told me he always had a dream to build trophies.
I first met Dave as a B.A.S.S. Invitational Angler in the 1990s. He had also started his very successful Midwest Trophy Company in Del City, Okla. Those two facts brought Dave to B.A.S.S. with Tournament Director Dewey Kendrick. At the time B.A.S.S. had a contract with another company for awards. Dave and Dewey worked out a deal for Midwest to start producing all the B.A.S.S. awards. When Bassmaster Elite anglers talk about winning a “blue trophy” or any angler talks of hoisting the Bassmaster Classic trophy, they are talking about Midwest Trophy products.
During this time period, Dave’s company continued to grow by leaps and bounds. After purchasing Jostens Recognition division, Midwest Trophy became MTM Recognition Corporation. Not only were they in the business of manufacturing trophies, MTM also became the world’s largest recognition provider making trophies, rings, corporate awards, years of service programs, etc. Many professional sports leagues and teams used MTM for various projects.
All the while running this huge outfit, Dave had the burning desire to be a professional bass angler. He was a member of the inaugural Bassmaster Elite Series in 2006 and remained on the circuit for many years. At the same time, he also fished the FLW Tour. He was a smart man and knew good and well he needed to surround himself with smart people as he did back in Del City. Folks like Glen Northcutt and Brad Myers kept things rolling at MTM while Dave chased little green fish across the U.S.
Elite Series anglers select a walk-up song to be played as they come across the stage. Dave’s selection was “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith. That brought a chuckle to many of us. That was Dave’s personality. He was a great guy to be around and very kindhearted.
We will probably never know how many anglers Dave helped along the way. There were anglers who may have been experiencing tough times, and Dave was there for them. I remember so well what he did for co-anglers and marshals who rode in the boat with him during Elite events. On top of treating them with great respect, MTM made him a challenge coin he would give to each making them feel special. That is just one example of the kind of man Dave was, and there are so many more.
All his friends at B.A.S.S. will miss him very much. He was a unique individual who took a dream, worked hard and lived a very successful life.
R.I.P. Super Dave.
