When Mercury Pro Team member Ronnie Green was growing up in San Antonio, Texas, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he wasn’t thinking about what his life story might end up looking like. Because when you’re a boy growing up in Texas with a whole lot of energy, a keen sense of adventure and an abundance of long summers at your disposal, your concerns tend to skew a whole lot less esoteric than that.
Especially when those adventures involve a fishing pole and the endless possibilities that dangle at the end of it. You see, from the time his father, Ralph Green Sr., took him out to catch his first fish – a bluegill – to the countless times he accompanied his great-grandmother, Macy Green, on the streams and rivers that were his backyard, Ronnie was hooked. Hooked on the pure joy of fishing, the majesty of the water, and the camaraderie and conversation that served as the backdrop.
There was something so deeply authentic about the entire experience – of being on the water, connecting with nature and listening to his great-grandmother’s stories – that left an indelible impression on Ronnie. One that would put him on a direct course toward his own destiny – doing the thing he loves most and sharing it with the world.
Like many, Ronnie followed a circuitous path to where he is today. After graduating with an education degree from Texas Tech in 1991, he served as an officer in the Marine Corps for six years before going back to school to earn his master’s degree in business administration. He then spent 15 years in medical device sales for Abbott Laboratories, fishing all the while.
During this time, while giving a presentation at a sales meeting, Ronnie had a chance encounter with a video production crew, and it put him face to face with what his mom called his true calling: his ability to understand and connect with people.
The encounter ultimately culminated with him launching his show, A Fishing Story with Ronnie Green, on World Fishing Network as well as a number of additional networks. And if you’ve ever caught an episode, you’ve likely heard Ronnie start off the show by saying, “In fishing, there’s the hunt for big bass, there’s the camaraderie and then there’s the story. What’s your story?”
The stories told on the show have truly run the gamut, like the inspiring one shared by Zach, a young man from Minnesota, who survived stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma and ended up on the other side, wiser, more mature and grateful. Or the one told by Ronnie’s friend James Edison about what it was like growing up in a small Midwestern town without a mother or father. These two, like many of Ronnie’s guests, are great examples of how the human spirit has a way of triumphing, even in the midst of tremendous odds.
This combination of fishing and the celebration of the human condition has proved to be a winning one with audiences and critics alike. Now in its 13th season, the show has earned Ronnie an Emmy as well as numerous Telly Awards, which recognize excellence in video and television.
The awards and the recognition are nice, but mostly they serve as a reminder to Ronnie that he’s on the right track. That providing a platform for these stories is what he’s meant to be doing. “Some of the stories we share are difficult ones, he said. The emotional waters they navigate can sometimes be a bit dense and uncomfortable, so the fact that there is an audience hungry for these stories is really encouraging.”
For that, Ronnie is both humble and grateful. And while he may never have intended for his humility and gratitude to be his calling card, they nonetheless are part of the show’s charm. It’s this charm, along with Ronnie’s commitment to others and the sport of fishing, that make all of us at Mercury grateful to partner with him and eager to hear his next story.
You can catch A Fishing Story with Ronnie Green on Sportsman Channel, Bally Sports, NBC Sports, Root Sports, FloSports, American Forces Network, New England Sports Network and World Fishing Network. You can also follow Ronnie on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.