NATCHEZ &045; More than a decade ago, the Miss-Lou chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame was searching for a means to raise money.

At the time, the NFF was accepting donations from local businesses when a member insisted on the oldest fund-raiser around: a golf tournament.

And slapping ex-NFL Pro Bowler Joe Fortunato’s name on the marquee seemed to sweeten the deal, as the former Mississippi State and Chicago Bears star has brought in some notable celebrities each year, such as former N.Y. Giants linebacking carnivore Sam Huff; Ferriday, La., native Allen Brown, who played at Ole Miss and with the Green Bay Packers; and Mississippi State basketball great Bailey Howell.

Howell will be once again in attendance this weekend as the annual Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Classic begins at Duncan Park with shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday.

Brown will also be there fulfilling his role as one of the chefs during the two-day, four-man scramble that costs each person $125.

&uot;For what you pay, you can’t beat it anywhere else,&uot; NFF president Kevin Whittington said. &uot;A lot of tournaments will charge you $125 for a one-day tournament and not even feed you.&uot;

The festivities begin with a social gathering at the Duncan Park clubhouse from 5 to 7:30 p.m. today, where teams are also asked to register.

All proceeds raised help the NFF hand out scholarships to area student-athletes each year at its annual banquet. This year it awarded nearly $10,000 in scholarships.

&uot;You ask any of the golfers who know and they’ll tell what we raise is going back to our area schools’ athletes,&uot; Whittington said. &uot;We had more than 200 people in that room (at the annual banquet). The kids we’ve been able to help send to college have become doctors and lawyers. Every little bit helps.&uot;

The event’s continued growth in popularity has others who put on similar tournaments asking NFF members for advice, said Whittington, who has been a member of the NFF for four years, but is in his first year as president.

&uot;We have other chapters and charities call us and ask us how we put it on because it’s so efficient,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve built a nice reputation with our sponsors, who know their money is going back to scholarships.&uot;