FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga.— Emmanuel College has hired Pam Martin-Wells as the head coach of the school’s new bass fishing team.
Wells is the all-time leading money winner of women’s professional bass fishing and has qualified for 27 Classics of the Bass’n Gal and Lady Bass Anglers circuits. Her bass career accomplishments include winning the inaugural Women’s Bassmaster Tour (WBT) Championship and three other WBT tournaments, earning the Angler of the Year award eight times in various women’s circuits and placing 22nd in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.
“Pam’s wealth of bass fishing knowledge and experience will play a vital role in our inaugural bass fishing season,” Emmanuel College Athletic Director Nate Moorman said about the new coach. “She has a lot to offer our future anglers, and we’re excited to see how far she will take this program.”
The school contacted Martin-Wells about the coaching position after one of her cousins, who is a coach at Emmanuel, recommended her as a candidate to lead the new team. A desire to share her passion for fishing prompted Martin-Wells to accept the coaching job. “I have been very fortunate in my career,” she said. “I have accomplished a lot. I am not getting any younger and this was just the perfect opportunity to give back to the sport that has been so good to me.”
Martin-Wells admitted she has never coached anything, which makes her new venture a challenge. “That was the one thing that made me kind of a little bit hesitant, but a really good friend of mine, Gary Mason, who is the head coach at Bethel University, assured me I wouldn’t have a problem,” she said.
The new coach believes “just getting started with a new program” will be her biggest challenge. “The hardest part will be getting sponsors for this program,” Martin-Wells said. “Hopefully there are some out there that are not already flooded.”
The bass fishing team will kick off its inaugural season this fall and Martin-Wells likes the team’s prospects. “We already have some really good recruits coming in this year and a bunch lined up for next year,” she said. “So I am really positive about our ability as a team.”
Martin-Wells said the team will compete in Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournaments next year.
