Irwin L. Jacobs (1941-2019) – Irwin Jacobs was a highly successful businessman in a variety of industries, but his passion for bass fishing was best embodied through his longtime leadership of the FLW Outdoors and ownership of Genmar Industries, the world’s largest privately-held recreational boat builder. He was inducted in to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jacobs was raised in Minneapolis, very briefly attended the University of Minnesota, and literally embodied the American “rags to riches” story. At 8 years old, he started working for his father’s Northwestern Bag Company, collecting and reselling burlap sacks. In 1973, Jacobs founded COMB (“Close-out Merchandise Buyers”), a catalog-based mail-order retailer, and along with several cable television magnates he later created the Cable Value Network, an innovative shopping channel later purchased by QVC. Jacobs, based in Minneapolis, became wealthy by taking big stakes in Fortune 500, usually to unlock value by breaking them up thus earning the nickname “Irv the Liquidator.” He was a relentlessly bold and aggressive businessman, and many of his ventures were taken in collaboration with friend Carl Pohlad. Together they were involved in corporate acquisitions of the Grain Belt Brewery, Disney and Kaiser Steel. Along with Pohlad and others, Jacobs owned a portion of the Minnesota Vikings for a period of time.
Gemar, which included iconic bass boat brands like Ranger Boats, Stratos and Javelin, became a large player within Jacobs’ portfolio, and led him to purchase and operate FLW Outdoors, the world’s largest fishing tournament organization with annual awards of millions of dollars for anglers in tournament circuits targeting species including not just bass, but also walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. Those circuits ranged from the tour-level down through the weekend angler. In the latter category, FLW owned the Red Man Tournament Trail (later renamed the BFL, or “Bass Fishing League”) and ultimately took on a portion of the Bass Federation.
His decision to purchase what until then had been known as Operation Bass was an attempt to fully tap into the buying power of the nation’s 50 million fishing enthusiasts. He later renamed the operations FLW Outdoors after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood. Jacobs saw FLW Outdoors tournaments as a unique and powerful opportunity to communicate with a huge consumer group that had never been pursued. In 1997, Jacobs hooked the giant retailer, Wal-Mart, as a title sponsor, which eventually allowed Jacobs to court the world’s leading consumer products companies. As a result of Jacobs’ efforts, more than 50 leading consumer brands, including brands owned by global powerhouses BP, General Motors, Kellogg’s, and Procter & Gamble, sponsored FLW Outdoors tournaments. In 2007, FLW Outdoors made history by awarding the sport’s first $1 million check to Arkansas angler Scott Suggs when he won the Forrest Wood Cup championship.
In addition to his accomplishments in sport of tournament fishing and the business world more broadly, Jacobs was a devoted and generous philanthropist. He underwrote and served as chairman of the 1991 International Summer Special Olympics Games, which were held in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Additionally, he personally funded the building, furnishing and overall operations of Dells Place, a group home for developmentally challenged individuals; Functional Industries, an occupational workshop for physically and mentally disabled individuals; and The Art Center of Minnesota. Additionally, Jacobs supported several other local and nonprofit organizations benefiting the arts, disabled, developmentally challenged and homeless.
- Irwin Jacobs presents Scott Suggs
http://https://youtu.be/1riTnuucds0
FAQs
The quintet of Fred Arbogast, Mike McKinnis, Skeet Reese, Alfred Williams and Mark Zona were selected in balloting conducted by the Hall of Fame's 30-member Selection Panel and living Hall of Fame inductees.
How much is Irwin Jacobs worth? ›
Irwin Mark Jacobs (born October 18, 1933) is an American electrical engineer and businessman. He is a co-founder and former chairman of Qualcomm, and chair of the board of trustees of the Salk Institute. As of 2019, Jacobs has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.
Who owned FLW? ›
An important point in FLW history occurred July 24, 1996, when Minneapolis businessman Irwin L. Jacobs purchased the company. Jacobs owned FLW until his death in 2018. In 2019 Major League Fishing purchased FLW.
What baseball player is in the Fishing Hall of Fame? ›
You may know Ted Williams as the Hall of Fame (inducted in 1966) left fielder who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1942 and 1946-1960.
Who won the US Bass Open? ›
Grover won the 2023 WON Bass U.S. Open in wire-to-wire fashion with a three-day total weight of 56.75 pounds, with a . 24-pound winning margin over runner up Touey.
What companies did Irwin Jacobs own? ›
Irwin L. Jacobs (1941-2019) – Irwin Jacobs was a highly successful businessman in a variety of industries, but his passion for bass fishing was best embodied through his longtime leadership of the FLW Outdoors and ownership of Genmar Industries, the world's largest privately-held recreational boat builder.
What happened to Irwin Jacobs' estate? ›
Irwin Jacobs' Orono estate has been demolished, is being replaced by six-home development. The 20-acre estate, along Shoreline Drive in Orono, is being divided into six lots that vary in size from 2.07 acres to 4.59 acres.
What is the religion of Irwin Jacobs? ›
Joan and Irwin were both raised in Jewish homes in the Northeast — homes steeped in the tradition of giving, not only as a family matter, but also as a religious duty.
Who founded MLF? ›
Professional Anglers Boyd Duckett and Gary Klein represent the anglers and originally came up with the idea of Major League Fishing. Major League Fishing is sponsored by a number of fishing-related companies and external organizations including Bass Pro Shops, General Tire, Lowrance, Sig Sauer and Geico.
What is FLW now called? ›
Uniting with MLF under a single brand makes the whole greater than the sum of the pieces. The letters may be different, but the people and the values will remain the same.” The FLW organization now known as “Major League Fishing MLF5” began life as Operation Bass.
MLF is a partnership between the PBTAA and Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG), a division of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. “As MLF continues to grow, we're committed to finding the right opportunities to extend the Outdoor Sportsman Group properties,” Outdoor Sportsman Group President and CEO, Jim Liberatore said.
How much money does the Jacobs family have? ›
The Jacobs family owns Delaware North, owner and operator of TD Garden, including the new mixed-use Hub on Causeway development. Jacobs is also the owner of Boston's famed hockey team, the Bruins. Although the family is worth a cool $3.5 billion, they just furloughed tens of thousands of employees.
What is the net worth of Jacob company? ›
Jacobs Engineering Group has a market cap or net worth of $17.47 billion as of June 12, 2024. Its market cap has increased by 20.45% in one year.
How does Jacobs make money? ›
With approximately $16 billion in annual revenue and a talent force of more than 60,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.
How much is Irvin Simon worth? ›
The estimated net worth of Irwin D Simon is at least $18 Million dollars as of 2024-05-30. Irwin D Simon is the Pres., CEO & Chairman of Bd of The Hain Celestial Group Inc and owns about 1,850,208 shares of The Hain Celestial Group Inc (HAIN) stock worth over $13 Million.
