The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' dedicates new Johnny Morris Award in
his honor to recognize lifetime commitment to natural resource stewardship

WASHINGTON, DC (September 25, 2012) ? The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), which represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies, has bestowed its inaugural Johnny Morris Award to its namesake, Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, in recognition of his lifetime of service to the cause of fish and wildlife conservation. AFWA presented the award to Mr. Morris on September 10, 2012 during a luncheon ceremony as part of the Association's annual meeting in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The new award will be conferred annually to a citizen conservationist who exemplifies Mr. Morris' extraordinary leadership at the highest level and steadfast commitment to solving large-scale natural resource challenges.

"Johnny Morris is the epitome of the enlightened, able and progressive citizen conservationist who sees beyond the limits of one hometown or one state to the national or international scale, and works accordingly and effectively to produce results," said Dr. Jonathan Gassett, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and former AFWA President who created the award. "The Association dedicates the Johnny Morris award in his honor, not only because of his passion for the outdoors, but specifically because his actions show that he is one of us."

Mr. Morris related that he was absolutely surprised and humbled to receive the inaugural Citizen Conservation award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. "There can be no higher honor than having your name as part of an award that will recognize citizen conservation on a national and global scale each year," Johnny stated.  This award is especially meaningful to me as the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is the front line for protecting America's precious fish and wildlife resources and implementing the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.  "I proudly share this recognition with my fellow team members at Bass Pro Shops.  They fully recognize the future of our outdoor industry and the sports we love depend, more than anything else, on how we manage our natural resources and conservation," Johnny continued.

John L. Morris developed a love of the outdoors at early age while fishing with his father. He started in the early 1970's with a U-Haul trailer full of the newest bass tackle and eight feet of sales space in his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri. Since then, Bass Pro Shops has become what Sporting Goods Business magazine named the #1 Outdoor Retailer in America. More than 100 million shoppers annually visit one of the company's 58 destination outdoor retail stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Through all his success, Mr. Morris has remained an ardent conservationist and is the recipient of numerous honors including the Teddy Roosevelt Conservationist Award, the International Conservation Achievement Award and AFWA's "President's Award" in 1996. He was inducted into the International Game Fish Association's Hall of Fame in 2005 and served three terms as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Nominations for the Johnny Morris Award for citizen conservationist of the year will be solicited in early 2013. A state director member of AFWA must submit nominations. More information will be available on www.fishwildlife.org.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies?the organization that represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies?promotes sound resource management and conservation, and speaks on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org, on Facebook /AssociationofFishandWildlifeAgencies and on Twitter @fishwildlife.

Every college football fan has asked, "What was the coach thinking?" at some point or other. That's OK,  says Kathy (Currey) Kronick, author of Mrs. Coach: Life in Major College Football (www.mrscoach14yrs.com), sometimes I wish they would bottle their "BOOs."

As college teams and their fans prepare for the kickoff of another contentious season, Kronick offers insights from her unique perspective as a longtime "Mrs. Coach."

"I have been in stadiums where I've thought to myself, 'This must be what it was like in ancient Rome,' " says Kronick, whose book recounts her years married to Coach Dave Currey. "Some fans get so caught up in the heat of the moment that they forget these players are just kids who may be dealing with injuries or personal problems."

There are many factors that feed into a coach's decision regarding players, plays and clock management, she says. Last-minute decisions may be influenced by events and observations that go back to Pop Warner, or even earlier.

"A football coach's work is never done," she says. "When they're not on the field, in the weight room or at meetings, a head coach's mind is still on football. It was frustrating for me to know all that was behind a decision when fans started booing."

She says fans should remember the following realities in college football:

• Student athletes: It's very difficult to earn a slot on a major college team's roster from high school, and only 2.4 percent of these young players ever make it to the next level. "These are kids just out of high school who have devoted their lives to the game. Most will not become millionaires, or even go pro, so I wish fans would give them a break," Kronick says. "They are also full-time students, too, with all the added pressures of academia."

• Injuries: Some of the most egregious booing comes from fans who think a player isn't tough enough when injured. "The charge is 'lack of heart' when an important player is out of a game due to a 'borderline' injury, which cannot be diagnosed by a doctor or seen in an x-ray," she says. "Many of these student-athletes incur injuries that may affect them if they try to go pro. Even if they don't continue in football, they may carry the limp of the game for the rest of their lives. No athlete should ever be forced to play with an injury."

• Coach knows best: It's the coach's job to obsess over every detail that will help the team win. They do that 24/7, 11 months of the year. (They're off the month of  July, when they attempt to make up for all the family time they've missed, but even then, they're still thinking about the team, Kronick says.) "Their lives revolve around winning - and not making mistakes. A bad call is only so labeled if a play doesn't work," she says. "Couch-surfing coaches and Monday-morning quarterbacks should be aware of that before criticizing."

Coaches always say that if fans buy tickets, they have the right to boo, Kronick says.

"But coaches' wives say, 'Please don't boo around us.' "

About Kathy (Currey) Kronick

Kathy (Currey) Kronick was married to Dave Currey from 1974 to 1989. He was an assistant coach at Stanford University when they met and married, and later moved on to Long Beach State (Calif.), the University of Cincinnati and UCLA. They divorced in 1996. Kronick, who has a bachelor's in education of the deaf and a master's in counseling, is the mother of two children and is happily remarried.

Run for a good cause: The fight against Prostate Cancer.

The QC Marathon and Happy Joe's host the Happy Joe's Kids Micro Marathon which is tied into the QC Marathon events.

http://www.qcmarathon.org/races-kids-run.html

·         September 22^nd, the day before the QC Marathon!

·         Come at 12:30 and pick up your packet inside the iWireless.

·         Race begins at 1:30 pm in the grassy area between the iWireless and the Radisson Hotel.

·         1/4 1/2 or full mile or run all three!  T shits and goodie bags for each child participating as well as metals for all runners.

·         Come celebrate happy Joe's 40^th anniversary and see the Happy Joe's Hip hop Dancers warring the old fashion Happy Joe's uniforms (Remember the red dresses with the red and white stripped bloomers!)

·         Also attending will be "HAPPY the Dog" and Happy Joe Whitty himself!

King's Harvest Golf Tournament Fundraiser is being held on September 14th at Palmer Hills Golf Course at 2999 Middle Road in Bettendorf, IA.  Players will tee off at 8:00 a.m.  

This tournament will feature formerUniversity of Iowa Football great and NFL player Tim Dwight as a celebrity guest golfer.

King's Harvest is a non-profit 501c(3) organization that serves the poor and homeless in the Quad Citiesand is located in Downtown Davenport.  All funds raised will help King's Harvest with their mission offeeding, clothing and sheltering many who have absolutely nothing including our Shelter for HomelessMothers with Children.The event still needs golfers and includes 18 holes of golf with a cart.  It will be a two person best ballformat.  

The event will be followed by a lunch.  It is $75.00 a person or $140.00 for a two person team.Please call Grant Curtis for more information at 563-528-0835 or golf-tournament@mediacombb.net.

Help the poor and homeless with a fun day of golf!

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Anne McVey,Fundraising Coordinator for King's Harvest Ministries, please call 563-508-4170.

If you would like to make a donation to the King's Harvest please visit www.kingsharvest.net and usepaypal or mail checks to King's Harvest Ministries at 5837 Wisconsin Ave. Davenport, IA 52806.#  #  #