Local artist, outdoorsman Dick Idol enters outdoors hall of fame

Dick Idol was at a crossroads in life when he chose the path toward Alaska.

The star defensive back for the 1967 North Carolina State University football team faced the choice between a career in the National Football League or a chance to pursue his passion for the great outdoors.

His love of the outdoors trumped his love of the game.

“I wanted to go to Alaska and be a trapper,” Idol told the Pilot in a recent interview at the Dick Idol Signature Gallery in downtown Whitefish.

Forty-six years later, his decision to head into the wilds has reaped Idol the ultimate reward — induction into the Garry Mason Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.

Idol was a top collegiate football prospect as a senior at East Forsyth High School in the piedmont of North Carolina. Schools across the south had their eye on the all-city and all-state running back, but Idol had his eye on the wilds of Alaska.

Despite his father’s insistence that he attend college, it wasn’t until a recruitment trip to N.C. State that Idol decided to put his dreams of Alaska on hold. He spent homecoming week at the college, but instead of making the typical rounds, he and his tour guide spent the entire week in the woods, camping, hunting and fishing.

“That’s when I decided I’d give college a chance,” Idol said.

The Wolfpack football team would go on to have one of their most successful seasons ever. The famous “White Shoe Defense” led the way to a No. 1 ranking and a win over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.

Idol was one of the fastest guys on the top defensive unit. His combination of speed and athleticism caught the attention of NFL teams.

“I had several offers to play professionally,” Idol said.

But he wasn’t about to pass on his dreams of Alaska a second time.

“People said, ‘Are you crazy?’” Idol said. “But I walked away from the game and have never regretted it.”

It was the early 1970s when he finally moved to Alaska. The state was still considered a “real frontier” back then, Idol said.

He opened a taxidermy business in Anchorage and became totally immersed in the outdoor lifestyle. He chased after polar bears and other big game, while learning the ropes of the outdoor industry.

He eventually packed his bags and moved back to North Carolina where he would become a professional hunting guide. Idol would lead trips to Alaska, Africa and across the West.

“I was living the dream,” he said about those years.

He soon came to realize his passion was for whitetail deer.

“They’re one of the incredible game animals in the world,” Idol said. “They’re smart and difficult to hunt.”

Idol became obsessed with collecting deer antlers, sometimes cleaning out the bank account to add another set.

In short order he would amass the one of the most well-known collections in the world, including the legendary “Hole in the Horn” buck that is believed to be one of the largest set of antlers in history. The collection is now on display at Bass Pro’s American National Fish and Wildlife Museum in Missouri.

In 1982 he co-founded Whitetail Magazine. Idol would pen more than 3,500 columns for the industry-leading publication that remains one of the top hunting magazines on the market today.

He would go on to help design the “Silent Stalk” clothing line for Cabela’s and become a regular in their mail-order catalog.

Having established national name recognition, Idol launched Dick Idol Ventures. Today, the Dick Idol Lifestyle Brand is the top outdoor lifestyle brand in North America, with revenue exceeding $200 million.

Through his brand, Idol tapped into his passion for art. Along with numerous wildlife paintings, he has crafted some of the largest mammal bronze monument sculptures in the world.

One piece he is most proud of is at the entrance of the football stadium at N.C. State. The 30-foot tall bronze monument includes six wolves on a mountain with dramatic water, lighting, and audio effects.

Idol says it’s an honor to be inducted into the Outdoors Hall of Fame.

“You don’t do it for the accolades,” he said. “But you put in all this time and years — it’s a nice milestone.”

Idol says he doesn’t hunt much these days — he’s more likely to be found in the woods with a camera lens on his shoulder than a rifle.

He’d like to slow down with his business pursuits a bit, and maybe spend more time outdoors with his grown boys, Cody and Colt.

As Idol reflects on his career and path in life, he says he has no regrets.

“When I look at the aggregate of it all, I would make the same choices,” he said. “All along, I just wanted to do things that kept me outdoors.

“If you do what you’re passionate about, you will be successful.”