Benny Earl Hull
Benny Earl Hull the ol’ Stump-Bumper host of the TV show The Southern Sportsman, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on August 16, 2025.
Benny was born at home in the town of Rossville, where he grew up. He loved his Lord, his family, and had a passion for the great outdoors. He also had a love for sports. He played baseball, football, basketball, fought in the Golden Gloves, and fished every chance he had. Benny was a methodist and was a member of Elizabeth Lee Methodist Church for many years. He loved participating in the 5th quarter, men’s breakfast, and men’s luncheons when he could. Benny had several careers in his lifetime. In his young adult life, he had a vending machine route and went to work at Wheland in management while in college. He served on the water board, was Treasurer of the mountain view PTA and held the position of Justice of the Peace. He owned and operated a full-service gas station while owning a car lot, fleet of dump trucks, skating rink, started the first manual hand wash car washes, and wrote articles for the paper Midsouth Outdoors. His love for the outdoors led him to a talk radio show for several years while also having a live fishing show. He decided he had rather show the tips and techniques instead of talking about them, so he started filming his adventures. Benny has the longest running outdoor show, this being his 39th year, never missing a week being on TV. He loved people and never met a stranger. He held fishing tournaments for the handicapped and held numerous children’s fishing rodeos. He always loved helping with all the charities. Benny was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame in 1972, holds multiple world records, won a Telly award, invented a lure called The Stumpbumper Jig that sold in more than 150 tackle stores, along with his long bill caps and DVDs on how to catch certain species of fish. He will be greatly missed by all that knew him.
Benny was preceded in death by his parents Earl and Lucy Hull, and brothers Danny Hull and Bill Hull.
Those left to cherish his memory are his loving wife Phyllis Hull, son Delmer (Kim) Hull, son David Hull, stepson Christopher (Heather) Adams, sister Judy Hall, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, several in laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.
Special thanks to Mike Earnhart for being a loyal friend and taking care of the TV productions.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 20, from 2-8 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. until the service hour.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, at Lane Funeral Home and Crematory South Crest Chapel, with Rev. Zach Fitzpatrick officiating.
A private burial will be at a later date.
Condolences can be shared with the Hull family at www.lane-southcrestchapel.com
Funeral arrangements are made with Lane Funeral Home and Crematory South Crest Chapel.