Fish
The annual Eric Workman Memorial Muskie Tournament & Youth Tournament funds hatchery forage, transmitter studies, and angler‑access improvements across West Virginia waters.
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A trooper’s life,
remembered through service.
The Trooper Eric Workman Foundation carries forward the ideals Eric stood for — a drug‑free youth, healthy West Virginia rivers, and the unwavering brotherhood of those who protect our communities.
How we honor Eric
Every dollar and every cast line is a step further down the path Eric walked — outdoors, drug‑free, and devoted to the people of West Virginia.
Protect
Strike Out Drugs, Kick Out Drugs, and the My Hero Pageant carry Eric’s anti‑drug message to Clay County classrooms, ball fields, and beyond — reaching children before addiction does.
See the programsGive
Tax‑deductible gifts fund scholarships, equipment for the WVDNR, the Ronald McDonald House, and partnerships that honor Eric — an organ donor who saved lives even in death.
How we give backTrooper
Eric M. Workman
West Virginia State Police · Class of 2010
"Serve. Honor. Protect."
Born
1986
End of Watch
Aug. 31, 2012
Eric’s Story
A son of West Virginia, a brother to many.
Eric Michael Workman grew up in Clay County loving anything outdoors. From the age of four he fished and hunted; he became a standout on the baseball field and pitched for the West Virginia State University Yellow Jackets. He joined the West Virginia State Police because, in his own words, he could not believe they actually paid him to serve.
On the night of August 28, 2012, Trooper Workman was shot during a traffic stop. He held on for three days before succumbing to his injuries. Because he had registered as an organ donor at the age of sixteen, his corneas gave sight, his lungs gave breath, and his tissues healed dozens more.
In the years since, those who loved Eric have channeled his memory into the work he believed in — keeping kids drug‑free, protecting the muskellunge he chased on the Elk and the Little Kanawha, and standing alongside the troopers who still wear the uniform he was so proud of.
Rebecca Workman King
Secretary–Treasurer · Eric’s Sister
10+
Years honoring Eric
154
Anglers at the 2015 tournament
$3K
Donated to WV hatcheries (2015)
50+
Partners & sponsors
A favorite line
The finest gift you can give a fisherman is to put a good fish back — and who knows if the fish that you caught isn’t someone else’s gift to you? — Lee Wulff
Recent work in Eric’s name
A small sample of how the foundation’s funds and volunteer hours show up across the state — from hatcheries to ball fields to courthouse steps.
Conservation
Electro‑anesthesia gloves for the WVDNR
A pair of Smith‑Root chain‑mail gloves were donated to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to immobilize muskellunge safely during spawning and transmitter implants.
Fisheries
$3,000 in minnows for state hatcheries
The foundation funded thousands of forage minnows to support muskellunge fingerlings being raised for stocking across West Virginia waterways.
Tournament
A 185‑inch stringer, and a packed banquet
Daniel Haddox’s five‑muskie stringer set the bar in 2015; thirty‑one youth competed in their own division; over two hundred guests joined at the banquet to celebrate Eric.
Reach the Foundation
Get in touch.
For tournament inquiries, sponsorship, donations, or media — please use the address that best matches your message. Every email is read by a member of Eric’s family or the board.
Mailing address
1518 Otterlick Rd., Ivydale, WV 25113
General
[email protected]
Donations
[email protected]
Tournament
[email protected]