Ethan Cox and Drew Sadler fished for colleges in two different states during two different time periods, but both found that the power of college sponsorships can translate into blossoming career opportunities.
Cox, a 2012 graduate from North Carolina State University, and Sadler, who graduated from Eastern Kentucky in 2008, both formed relationships that they never knew could result in job offers multiple years after the first encounter.
Cox was fishing in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship when Chris Russell first noticed the sharp and personable angler.
“I recognized him as a bright young guy,” said Chris Russell, who worked for Wright & McGill when he saw Cox fishing in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship a few years ago.
“He stood out from the crowd with how he worked, his demeanor and he was very active in the fishing community.”
Russell stayed in touch with Cox, and when he was named marketing senior manager at Shimano American Corp. a few years later, Russell found a place for him.
“Chris kept up with me on Facebook and we would call and talk every once in a while,” said Cox. “One day he called me and asked me if I wanted a real job. I wasn’t even looking at that position. I was actually on Lake Hartwell striper fishing when he called me.”
Like Cox, Sadler wasn’t expecting a phone call or a job offer from Kirk Immens, the president of Sportco, but because of their previously formed relationship, the college fishing alum became a member of the Sportco/Shimano team with ease.
Seven years prior, a young Sadler made a call to Immens about an opportunity for Shimano to support college fishing by donating to a Kentucky-based tournament that Sadler and EKU teammates had envisioned called the Battle of the Bluegrass.
The tournament came to fruition after Sadler, a co-founder of the EKU bass club, competed in the 2006 B.A.S.S. College Smashmouth National Championship, which was an early edition of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship.
“I started working with a local retailer when I was 14 years old,” said Sadler. “Through him, I met one of the Shimano reps.” Sadler made the ask of Shimano, and the company made a contribution. The rest is history.
“Everybody in college has a dream they will fish for a living, but what they need to keep in mind are the relationships you create in college and make the most of them,” Sadler said. “You never know what they could turn into.”
About the time that Sadler was graduating and moving into the B.A.S.S. Nation level of competition, Cox was transferring from a community college to NC State — solely, he says, for the level of college fishing competition there.
The NC State “Basspack” was one of the largest in college fishing at the time, with membership hovering around 60 very competitive anglers.
“It really makes you step up your game when you are always fishing against guys like that in your club,” Cox said. “I learned a lot from those guys. It was like being in a big family.”
Cox earned his degree, as well as an ACA national championship that he managed with his teammate, Ben Dziwulski.
Cox’s marketing degree is paying dividends as he travels the country with the Shimano Experience Team and explains new products to both dealers and consumers.
“When he talks to an angler, whether they are an avid angler or new, he brings a nice approachable personality that a dad with a young son can relate to,” Russell said. “He is really patient with them, and he loves to learn on a daily basis.”
Those dealers and consumers can better understand how Shimano, G.Loomis and other products work because of people like Cox and Sadler, who spread the word through various training and marketing initiatives.
“We actually take dealers out on the water because they can learn a lot more about our products when they see and can use new products rather than just telling them about it in the store,” Cox said.
The fishing industry is being flooded with former college anglers who understand the business and how important each age group is.
Companies like Shimano are taking notice.
“It is imperative for any manufacturer of fishing equipment to be involved in not only college, but high school fishing,” Sadler said. “You have to realize that this group is the largest and most active in tournament fishing.
“Every year over the past three years, the participation in high school alone has doubled. There are kids and parents with no prior fishing knowledge who are going to dealerships to buy boats because they want to be involved.”
Besides the enormous growth, evident in the B.A.S.S. High School program and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, the talent produced from these youth programs is substantial — such as Bassmaster Elite Series pros Matt Lee, Jordan Lee and Brandon Card.
“The industry has noticed a huge change at how quickly the college tournament series has grown and how it has even influenced the high school tournament trail,” said Russell. “A lot of these anglers have an important background and are influential in their own peer groups.”
Two different eras of college fishing impacted both Cox and Sadler, yet their fishing knowledge and storytelling ability will affect generations of fishing fanatics for years to come. It seems the cast net that Shimano has thrown on the college circuit has yielded two stellar catches so far, and the plan that Russell and company have for the future should certainly yield more.
