BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama residents Jeff McDaniel of Calera and Sherry Byers of Anniston caught some Z’s at weigh-in during the 2004 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, but they likely had sleepless nights afterward due to the excitement of winning coveted new boats.
McDaniel was Z winner Friday
(Click the link to watch the Z-Series Comanche unveiling and McDaniel winning the boat.)
The 35-year-old McDaniel won the very first Ranger Z-Series Comanche boat ever to leave the assembly line. Ranger Boats officials chose the championship as the setting for its biggest new model introduction on record, and after weeks of building excitement through a “Shrouded in Secrecy” publicity campaign, they awarded model No. 001 to McDaniel, whose name had been drawn from a pool of countless contest registrants.
Moments before the drawing occurred, legendary Ranger Boats founder Forrest L. Wood – the namesake of the FLW Tour – joked about the “have to be present to win” clause of the contest drawing. He said, “In the event that someone here isn’t drawn as the winner, you can walk right over to the Ranger booth and place an order.”
When Wood drew McDaniel’s name, it didn’t take long to realize that he was indeed present. McDaniel – who was visibly moved by having won – hurriedly wended his way through the large weigh-in crowd to reach his sleek new boat.
After regaining his composure, McDaniel said, “I’ve had this weird feeling all day … it said, `You better be here.'”
McDaniel said the idea of winning the revolutionary Z-Series Comanche had consumed his thoughts for several days. In fact, he knew there would be drawings Friday and Saturday, and he said he was worried about having to miss Saturday’s weigh-in to be at his niece’s birthday celebration, because he truly believed his name would be drawn during one of the days.
“I had a feeling that something was going to happen since I came here,” McDaniel, who had also visited the championship festivities earlier in the week, said. “All day long at work (Friday) I thought about it. I was so worried because I knew I wouldn’t be here Saturday.”
But McDaniel’s worries evaporated the moment Wood drew his name – and possibly his father’s worries as well. According to McDaniel, he has been logging a lot of hours on his dad’s fishing boat all summer. His father, Robert, who lives in Huey Town, Ala., was with his son when he won.
“I’m really happy for him as much as myself,” McDaniel said.
When asked if he thought his son would reciprocate boat usage, Robert said with a laugh, “I don’t know. He might let me drive it.”
McDaniel said he was thoroughly impressed with the design of his new Z-Series Comanche – so much so that he regretted not being able to keep it unused as a collector’s item. But McDaniel, who fishes in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League as a co-angler, said he definitely intends to put the boat to good use chasing bass.
“It’s going to get fished in,” he said, “without a doubt.”
McDaniel called his wife, Aimee, to tell her the good news, and he said it took some convincing to get her to believe he’d actually won the fully rigged boat package, which is powered by a Yamaha 250 and a Minn Kota trolling motor. The total value of the package has yet to be determined as the Z-Series Comanche boats are not yet for sale to the public, but it was rumored Saturday that someone had offered McDaniel $60,000 for his prize.
“This is awesome,” McDaniel said to Ranger Boats President Randy Hopper. “How soon can I take it and put it in the water?”
Byers was Z winner Saturday
Like McDaniel before her, Byers sported a look of disbelief Saturday when she arrived at the Z-Series Comanche boat, model No. 002, that she had just won from Ranger Boats in a second drawing, this one co-sponsored by The Birmingham News.
The 30-year-old recently got bitten by the bass-fishing bug, so the timing on the win couldn’t have been better.
“I just got her into bass fishing this year,” her 38-year-old husband, Allen, said. “I bought her a rod and reel for Mother’s Day.”
Byers said she has had so much fun fishing with her family, including her children Joseph and Alanna, that they recently began looking to buy a bass boat.
“It’s way beyond – I just can’t even imagine,” Byers said, searching for words to describe her elation at winning such a fine bass boat. “We’ve been looking at things much smaller.”
Byers said the family will keep the boat to use for their fishing adventures.