Randy Blaukat of Joplin, Mo., snared fourth place overall with a total catch of 20 pounds, 3 ounces during the first day of Grand Lake competition. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Randy Blaukat.

May 19, 2014 • MLF • Archives

Bridgford Foods pro Randy Blaukat was accorded a special honor Saturday, May 17 when he was inducted into the Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame. Blaukat, of Joplin, has been a competitor on the Walmart FLW Tour since 1997, and has also fished a number of B.A.S.S. events. As an FLW competitor, his most notable finish was runner-up in the 2002 Ranger M1-Millennium tournament on the Mobile Delta. Blaukat also has won a B.A.S.S. Top 150 and Top 100 event.

A frequent blogger on the FLW website, Blaukat has extensive knowledge of the most popular bass fisheries around the country and has put it to good use during his long career as a top pro. He’s also been an outspoken conservationist and champion of various environmental causes.

Other 2014 inductees of the Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame included former Joplin High School and University of Tulsa women’s basketball star Leela Farr, Carthage High School graduate and former NFL defensive back Felix Wright, and, in the posthumous category, Commerce, Okla., native and former Joplin Miner and New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle. Blaukat and Farr and their families, as well as Wright (who was unable to attend) and Mantle’s family members, were feted at the induction ceremony banquet.