Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has been named honorary chairman for this year's National Hunting and Fishing Day, set for Sept. 22.

In his new volunteer position, Foxworthy will spend the coming months communicating the message that hunting and fishing are vital conservation tools, important economic engines and, most of all, just plain fun.

"I'm flattered to be asked to serve as the 2007 honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day," Foxworthy said. "Without question, sharing hunting and fishing trips with my family had a profound impact on my life, and undoubtedly shaped and molded the person I am today."

Although his you-might-be-a-redneck jokes are his signature material, Foxworthy is a decidedly sophisticated entertainer. He is the best-selling comedy-recording artist in history, star of the popular Blue Collar Comedy tours, television series and movies, a multiple Grammy award nominee, host of a weekly country music radio show airing in 220 markets nationwide and a best-selling author.

More than that, he's a passionate hunter who has never forgotten that legacy. Foxworthy is teaching his daughters to hunt and fish, but by accepting this new role, he's now expressing his devotion to those sports in a more public way.

National Hunting and Fishing Day was founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and formalized by Congress in 1971. It's celebrated on the fourth Saturday of September, and every U.S. President from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush has recognized the day via formal proclamations.

Last year, more than 100 public celebrations were held around the country. Even more are anticipated for 2007. Each event showcases the accomplishments of hunters and anglers, such as providing more than $1.7 billion a year for fish and wildlife conservation, habitat protection and resource-management programs.

Here in Indiana, sportsmen spend almost $850 million on their hunting and fishing pastimes each year. One in every six Hoosiers is a hunter or angler, which means twice as many people in the state went hunting or fishing than went to all the Indianapolis Colts games. The state taxes alone garnered on hunting and fishing expenditures could pay the salaries of over 1,200 teachers.

It's Foxworthy's rare combination of box-office star power and bait-shop familiarity that makes him a perfect honorary chairman for this year's National Hunting and Fishing Day.

"It just drives my wife crazy," Foxworthy joked. "She goes, 'We get invited to the Oscars, you turn that down. We get invited to the Grammys, you turn that down. But you never turn down a hunting or fishing trip.' I always explain, "Well, if I have my choice of putting on a tuxedo and going out to L.A. and sit around with people I have nothing in common with, or going out to Kansas to hunt a monster whitetail, it's not much of a chin scratcher."