Aubrey T. Stanley grew up on a tobacco farm on the outskirts of Greensboro, NC where long days of hard work were necessary for the farm to prosper. Serving in WWII and beyond, during his military career he was fortunate to find himself stationed at Drew Airfield now known as MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, where his love of the water and fishing blossomed.

After his active duty Aubrey returned to his home in Greensboro, NC where after a short time he and wife Elizabeth decided to move back to Florida. There, in 1959, they started Stanley Sports Supply. It is doubtful that they could have anticipated the decades of success that laid in front of the fledgling firm. After their deaths, sons Ray, Bobby and David continued to grow the business from the solid foundation they had established.