Meet The Crew: Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club
Get the inside scoop on the stars of SFC's new era
With the official launch of the 14 new professional angling clubs competing in SFCs new format, get to know the names, logos and faces behind the new era of competitive offshore fishing. Introducing the Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club.
Behind the Cowboys name
Paying homage to co-owner and Florida native “Beach Cowboy” Brian Kelley, the branding features a western-style font. Brian Kelley is a multi-platinum country music recording artist. A former baseball player, Kelley fished in freshwater lakes, estuaries and retention ponds to relax. His first taste of offshore action left him hooked.
“Being out fishing is living out a part of who I am,” said Brian Kelley, Cowboys co-owner. “The Gulf is such a huge body of water and to me it’s so mysterious, to a lot of us it still is so that’s why we still go. We love the hunt and we love the catch even more.”
Behind The Angling Club Logo & Colors
For the Cowboy’s logo, an iconic bull’s head is topped with horns that take the shape of a marlin tail. A single star acknowledges the 2024 Zane Grey championship won by Lifeline Sport Fishing, the last championship of SFC’s open-format era. Lifeline are co-owners of Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club and are based out of Panama City Beach, Florida. Teal and yellow colors for the club take inspiration from the color palette used by many beach towns along the Gulf Coast.
The Squad
The champions look to defend their crown under a new name, but the boat and cast remain the same. Captain Blake Bridges is at the helm, alongside co-owners Dino and Lori McDowell, GM Jordon Benefield and Dalton Benefield in the cockpit. Brian Kelley also plans on competing this season as an angler.
“I’m trying to line up some tour [dates] and fishing, but that’s why I signed up: because I want to be on the boat, I want to be fishing even if it’s cheering on Jordon reeling in the big one,” Kelley said. “ It takes everybody from the captains to the mates, the whole team. The whole aura of the boat has to be right to get the win.”
Aura and team chemistry has been a focal point for The Cowboys since day one, and repeatedly mention in interviews the need for everyone on the boat to be on the same page.
“One of the most important things is that you need to mesh well, it doesn’t matter how big the boat is: if there’s tension, there’s not a big enough boat for [handling] it,” Captain Blake Bridges said. “Win or lose, we take it one at a time, we’re already moving onto the next fish, the next tournament.”
With a solid ownership group and a full returning cast, the Gulf Coast Cowboys look to be an early favorite, but a star-studded lineup of clubs await announcement in both the Gulf and Atlantic divisions. Regardless of the outcome, there is no shortage of personality and positivity on their boat.
“Some of my best days have been out on a boat catching marlin and sailfish. When that line goes off and you know you’ve got one. Like Capt. Blake [Bridges] says, when you see them dancing and you get the show, that’s when you win,” Kelley said. “That’s what it’s all about right there.”