Competition set for Monday, Oct. 7, livestreamed from 8:20 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. ET on MajorLeagueFishing.com

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 3, 2024) – The University of Florida’s collegiate bass fishing team will be traveling to Fort Loudoun Lake in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 7 to compete against the University of Tennessee in the first ever Abu Garcia College Rivalry Tournament. This one-of-a-kind event, scheduled during the week of the highly anticipated Tennessee vs. Florida college football matchup, will highlight the competitive nature of the universities’ fishing clubs in a live head-to-head matchup that will be livestreamed by Major League Fishing. The College Rivalry Tournament was created to drive home the Abu Garcia brand sentiment of ‘Fish to Win’ while promoting the future of fishing.

Florida versus Tennessee is one of college football’s most heated and exciting rivalries. What better way to kick off a great college football rivalry week than pitting the fishing teams against each other in a head-to-head bass fishing battle that is being live streamed for the world of sports to watch and enjoy? In this event, Abu Garcia, in partnership with the University of Tennessee Athletics, aims to elevate the experience for college anglers by celebrating them as athletes.

“We have been looking forward to this event for a very long time,” said Marc Kempter, Abu Garcia’s Vice President of Marketing Communications. “The Abu Garcia brand cares deeply about the future generation of fishing and has for a long time supported the high school and college fishing ranks. This event is another spectacle we are adding to the list of efforts to give back to student anglers. This should be a very exciting event for the teams competing, fans watching and for each school to get behind as they lead up to a fun college football rivalry game in Knoxville.”

By combining the excitement of college football with the thrill of competitive fishing, Abu Garcia seeks to promote the future of fishing to a broader audience. The unique collaboration between Abu Garcia, Major League Fishing, the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida ensures that the college anglers will be recognized as athletes, gaining the attention they deserve.

MLF pro Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tennessee, is a University of Tennessee alumni and has been involved with the university for the past 35 years.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this event and to donate my time and resources to make it the best it can be,” said Coulter. “Anglers being involved in fishing at this level is awesome and the University of Florida is one of our main rivals, so this is the perfect game to launch this rivalry event.

“We’re looking forward to giving these anglers the opportunity to be more widely recognized as collegiate athletes in their industry, and hope this is a catalyst to get more students involved,” Coulter continued. “Abu Garcia has put a lot of time and resources toward this event and our mission is to give these student athletes as close to the same ‘college game-day experience’ as their fellow college athletes have in other athletic programs.”

Abu Garcia’s College Rivalry Tournament Details:

• Teams: Both universities will field two boats with two collegiate anglers per boat (4 boats, 8 anglers total)

• Format: Every Fish Counts – winner will be the team with the heaviest overall weight. Tournament day will consist of four quarters of competition with three 5-minute breaks in between.

• Event Schedule:
First Quarter: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Second Quarter: 9:35 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Third Quarter: 10:50 a.m. – 11:50 p.m.
Fourth (Final) Quarter: 11:55 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.

• Prize: The victorious team will take home a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Abu Garcia and claim bragging rights in this first-ever fishing showdown between the schools.

• Livestream: The event will be streamed live on MLFNOW! from 8:20 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. ET on MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In addition to the competition on the water, Abu Garcia is partnering with the University of Tennessee Athletics, the City of Knoxville, local radio stations and television outlets to promote this inaugural event. To enhance the pre-game excitement and draw in anglers and football fans alike, Abu Garcia has planned several high-profile activities to take place on Saturday, October 12 at Vol Village:

• Fan Experience: Abu Garcia will host a special Fan Zone in Vol Village featuring meet-and-greets with the collegiate bass anglers, pro tournament anglers, a showcase of the tournament trophy and an exciting Abu Garcia product display, complete with swag giveaways for visitors.

• Celebrity Appearance: Fans can expect an appearance from Tennessee alum and current NFL quarterback Josh Dobbs, adding an extra layer of excitement to the weekend’s festivities.

To learn more about Abu Garcia rods and reels, click here.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.