The Mike Slive Foundation has named Bruce Pearl as the Blue Shoe Ball honoree.

The Auburn basketball coach will be recognized on Thursday, Sept. 4.

“I am thrilled to be the honoree for the Mike Slive Foundation’s Blue Shoe Ball,” Pearl said in a released statement. “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.

“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.”

Every basketball season, Auburn 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.

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.