Photo Credit Robert Lawton - ShareAlike 2.5 WONDERS OF WILDLIFE -- Museum and Aquarium, Springfield, Mo., will be the official home of National Hunting and Fishing Day 2010. This year's celebration will be held Sept. 25. The USA Shooting Team has been selected to chair this year's celebration.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Shooters are among the most decorated athletes in U.S. Olympic history. Many say a background in hunting influences their success. In recognition of this connectivity, the entire USA Shooting Team has been named honorary chair of National Hunting and Fishing Day for 2010.

Always the fourth Saturday in September, this year’s celebration is set for Sept. 25.

Congress established National Hunting and Fishing Day to recognize hunters and anglers for their leadership in fish and wildlife conservation. Since launching in 1972, the day has been formally proclaimed by every U.S. President and countless governors and mayors.

“We’re excited to work with the USA Shooting Team to show how American hunters and anglers are world-class conservationists, and how successes afield can translate to world-class athletes,” said Denise Wagner, who coordinates the annual NHF Day celebration on behalf of Wonders of Wildlife.

As the official home of NHF Day, Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo., coordinates public education and awareness campaigns for traditional outdoor sports.

With 103 Olympic medals for rifle, pistol and shotgun marksmanship, the U.S. excels in few sports more than shooting. Only track and field, swimming, diving, wrestling and boxing have been more prolific medal producers for Americans. In fact, shooting ranks ahead of gymnastics, figure skating, volleyball and more than 30 other Olympic sports.

Most members of the current USA Shooting Team are active hunters and anglers, continuing long traditions of passion for the outdoors and winning on the world stage.

“Hunting, especially, continues to have considerable impact on many members of the team. They say hunting instilled an interest in firearms and taught basic marksmanship, patience, discipline and other assets to competitive skills,” said Buddy DuVall, marketing director for USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic shooting sports.

He added, “We are honored to give something back to the sportsmen and women of America by serving for National Hunting and Fishing Day.”

The USA Shooting Team joins a long list of sports personalities who have served as honorary chair of NHF Day. Baseball stars have included Ron Guidry, Tom Seaver, George Brett and Wade Boggs.

Football pros Bert Jones, Terry Bradshaw, John Riggins and Jay Novacek — along with golfers Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer and Tom Lehman — have also served. Basketball legend John Havlicek, NASCAR’s Ward Burton and tennis champion Roscoe Tanner round out the sports heroes who have helped spread the word about hunting, angling and conservation.

The growing list of sponsors for NHF Day 2010 includes Wonders of Wildlife, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, Smith & Wesson, Sportsman Channel, Realtree, Cabela’s, GunBroker.com and Yamaha. For more information, visit www.nhfday.org.