Jake Miller knows his father wasn't much of a golfer. His dad was more into football and basketball, occasionally throwing out elbows as he rebounded the ball during noon games at the YMCA.

"He was very competitive," Jake said.

Jake, 22, doesn't know this firsthand. He was only 2 when Morrie Miller, his father, died of cancer 20 years ago Sunday at the age of 45. Friends and family have helped him know his father.

"I learn more and more each year," Jake said. "It's great to hear the stories."

Many of those stories are shared each year as part of Morrie Miller Weekend - a two-day event to help raise money for the Morrie Miller Foundation, named in honor of the avid athlete and Winona businessman. On Sunday, the sixth annual Morrie Miller Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Cedar Valley Golf Course. The goal the first year was to raise $25,000 for the Winona Senior High School football team, Morrie's alma mater. More than $80,00 was donated.

Since then, more than $1 million has been raised to help support other area youth sports programs. Despite the recession, this year's fundraiser has been a huge success with $255,000 raised, more than any other year.

"It's amazing what people will do for youth in this community," said foundation secretary Cindy Donahue.

A 5K and 2-mile run was added four years ago as part of Morrie Miller Weekend. The first year, about 50 people showed up. On Saturday, there were more than 200.

Many who attend have some connection with Morrie.

"He made friends with pretty much everyone he met," said Cindy Pekkala, Morrie's widow.

She was only 36 when her husband died. Besides Jake, who is a student at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, the couple have a daughter, Sarah, 25, who is a student at Harvard University.

Pekkala first met Morrie when he taught history at WSHS and she was a student. Years later, they became a couple. She, and so many others, still miss him.

"He was a very kind, very generous person," Pekkala said. "He loved life."

Classmates and football teammates Dick Karnath, 65, Dave Hazelton, 65, and brothers Chuck, 64, and Jim Bambenek, 65, all participated in Sunday's golf tournament. All have plenty of Morrie stories to tell about time on and off the field. Chuck came from Detroit and Jim from Chillicothe, Ohio.

"It's a good chance for us to get together," Karnath said. "He would very much approve of this."

While the foundation's initial goal was to help the WSHS football program, the mission has expanded to support its cornerstone programs - the Morrie Miller Youth Tackle Football League and the strength and conditioning programs offered in partnership with Winona State University at Cotter Schools and the Winona Area Public Schools. The foundation has also helped pay for renovations at Paul Giel Field.

"Sports were a huge part of Morrie's life," Jeremy Miller said, Morrie's nephew and vice president of the Morrie Miller Foundation. "It's important for us to carry on that tradition."