Mike Slive Foundation Names Auburn’s Bruce Pearl as 2025 Honoree

By Banner Staff

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 21, 2025

The Mike Slive Foundation has named Auburn Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl as the Honoree for the Blue Shoe Ball on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at the Regions Field Ballroom. 

A longtime supporter of the Mike Slive Foundation and friend to the late SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, Coach Pearl has been instrumental in raising awareness about cancer prevention. While Pearl was at Tennessee, he and his coaching staff founded the OUTLIVE program in 2009 in recognition of former Volunteer standout Chris Lofton. Lofton defeated testicular cancer through early diagnosis and proper treatment and went on to play the entire 2007-08 season for the Vols while battling the disease. Every basketball season, the Auburn family holds the AUTLIVE Game. The Mike Slive Foundation has offered free PSA blood test screening at the AUTLIVE game for the past six years, testing hundreds of men and helping save lives.

“I am thrilled to be the honoree for the Mike Slive Foundation’s Blue Shoe Ball. Mike Slive was a giant in our industry, changing college sports for the better during his time. We lost him way too soon to prostate cancer,” said Auburn Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl. “We have a real opportunity to use his good name and help raise money for research and make sure men are getting screened. This is important not just for men over 40, but for all young men to know about their family history and their risk. If I can help save some lives, that’s what Mike would want me to do.”

This year’s Blue Shoe Ball will be held at Regions Field Ballroom on Thursday, September 4 from 6:30 to 9:30pm with a live and silent auction. Tickets will go on sale in April. 

“I know how much this would mean to my late father, Mike Slive, that we are honoring Coach Pearl at this year’s Blue Shoe Ball,” said Anna Slive Harwood, Executive Director of the Mike Slive Foundation. “Coach is one of the most generous and engaging persons I know. Coach and my father understand the importance of relationships and helping others. I can’t think of a better time to honor Coach Pearl for all he has done for so many others.” 

Some important stats to remember about prostate cancer:

●      1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

●      Screening and early detection can dramatically change the outcome of this pervasive disease that affects one in eight men.

●      A man dies of prostate cancer every 15 minutes. That is over 35,000 deaths this year.

●      Prostate cancer is the 2nd most common form of cancer among men and the most common form of cancer-related death among men.

●      Black men are nearly 80% more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men and more than twice as likely to die from the disease.

●      This year alone, an estimated 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the US and 35,7700 men will die from the disease.

●      Currently there are nearly 3.1 million men in America living with prostate cancer.