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Randy Moss, Jim Kleinsasser and Michael Bennett were three of the professional athletes attending the Randy Moss Invitational Celebrity Charity Fishing Tournament June 28-29.

Lindstrom pro fisherman John Laub worked with Moss to organize the tournament, with proceeds benefitting Smile Network International, a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis.

The two-day event kicked off last Tuesday with a dinner and party for participants at Bellanotte restaurant and The Escape nightclub in Minneapolis’ Block E next to the Target Center. Following dinner, Moss spoke to the participants, thanking them for their help in raising money for the charity.

He also encouraged participants to bid generously on live auction items, which included a football and Oakland Raiders jersey which he signed on the spot. When the auctioneer asked Moss what he thought the jersey was worth with his signature, he said it doesn’t matter what it’s worth. “This is for the kids, so it’s time to open your checkbooks and do it for the kids,” Moss said.

The jersey was sold for $4,000, with all of the money going to the Smile Network. A silent auction was also held during the evening.

Country singer and musician Tracy Byrd entertained the participants with several of his most popular hits during the evening as well. He was also one of the celebrities fishing in one of 50 boats that cast off Wednesday morning on Lake Minnetonka.

Each three-person team fishing included a celebrity, a pro angler and a sponsor who paid $3,500 for the opportunity to fish in the tourney and vie for cash and prizes.

The celebrity list included current and former NFL players Jack Brewer, Nate Burleson, Tyrone Carter, Chuck Foreman, Desmond Howard, Ron Johnson, Lance Johnstone, Cullen Loeffler, Lawrence Maroney, Jon Melander, Rian Melander, Tellis Redmon, Jeremy Schake, Darren Sharper, Kleinsasser, Bennett and of course Moss, who didn’t even think of dropping the tournament after being traded to the Oakland Raiders earlier this year.

Laub, who has spent many hours fishing with Moss over the years of their friendship, told the audience of Moss’s deep love of children and wanting to make a difference. The two talked a lot about organizing a charity tournament.

It took a while for the idea to take off, Laub said, taking a jab at Moss. “He would reel them in, I would take them off the hook and somewhere in all that we forgot,” Laub said.

But when Laub’s son, John Laub Jr. made a contribution to Smile Network International and offered to serve on its board of directors, Laub put the charity together with his tournament idea and immediately brought it to Moss. “When he saw a picture of Sergio and that was it,” Laub said. “He said do it.”

Smile Network International provided Sergio and hundreds of children from third world countries with free surgery to repair cleft lip and cleft palates. At times, the birth defect is both mentally and physically debilitating.

Although they battled some rain showers, the boating teams had a successful day of fishing on Lake Minnetonka.

The winning boat was led by professional angler Mark Raveline. He was joined by sponsor Dana Johnson and Minnesota Gopher hockey player Ryan Potulny. More than 2,000 people turned out to catch a glimpse of the participants during the afternoon weigh-ins.

As of Tuesday, Laub and other event organizers were still adding up the money raised through the event. “It was phenomenal,” Laub said. “We did very well and checks are still coming in.”

While it isn’t known yet whether the event reached Laub’s personal goal of $250,000 for the charity, Laub is already talking about next year’s event. Before he was traded, Moss told Laub he’d like to make it an annual event, but the logistics may be too difficult for Moss to be a part of it again now that he is a member of the Oakland squad.

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