Tori Bowie Day set for November 25th

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- One of America's great treasures will be immortalized in Black and Gold as the Southern Miss Department of Athletics and the City of Hattiesburg announced Wednesday that next Friday, Nov. 25, will forever be Tori Bowie Day, celebrating the accomplishments of the former Golden Eagle track and field standout who recently earned three medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The dedication takes place on the same day the Golden Eagles play host to rival Louisiana Tech in the team’s regular-season football finale. Bowie will be among her closest friends and family as she takes in The Rock for this key C-USA battle over a festive holiday weekend.

For that day, the first 10,000 fans at the contest will receive a Bowie commemorative mini poster and a special in-game ceremony honoring her will take place at halftime.

While Bowie gained recognition for her accomplishments at Southern Miss, she earned international acclaim following her spectacular showing in Rio.

"It means the world to me because I feel like I'm telling my story to the world,” Bowie said of winning her Gold medal in Rio. “I'm just trying to be an example to everyone from Mississippi and especially from my hometown of Sand Hill. I just want to let everyone know we are all capable of doing whatever it is we want to do in life."Bowie was a two-time long jump national champion while at Southern Miss, one in Indoor and one in Outdoor in 2011. She took home the gold medal in the 4x100 relay, as well as the silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m, respectively.

Game time for the contest will be either 3 or 4 p.m., with a final designation set by ESPN following the games played on Nov. 19.