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"On Game Day ... Go Gold" Campaign Starts Fast
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The recently-started "On Game Day ... Go Gold" campaign continues to gain momentum, with large numbers of the specially-designed, game day T-shirts being sold daily, and especially at spring, Golden Eagle-related events.

The campaign, a brainchild of several area Southern Miss Eagle Club members, grew out of Head Football Coach Jeff Bower's comments following the 1997 Liberty Bowl game, when, in his postgame comments, he talked about the "sea of gold" Golden Eagle fans exhibited during that memorable victory. The group of volunteers working to promote the program started with an impressive list of fans and continues to grow as the campaign gains momentum.

The campaign has been designed to enhance the atmosphere at The Rock as well as other Southern Miss athletic functions, and was developed and inspired by experiences that all Southern Miss fans can draw from. The desired result of the campaign is simple, to get Golden Eagles fans to wear the gold, especially on game days. When is it appropriate to "Go Gold?" The answer is "any time," but examples include: on Saturday's at The Rock, all Fridays and at all Southern Miss functions. It's not just a T-shirt, not just a one-time event, but rather a comprehensive campaign -- "On Game Day ... Go Gold."

Go Gold T-shirts, featuring athletic department logos and in both tee and collared versions, either are or will be available throughout the retail marketplace, and campaign volunteers are working to add additional outlets. Shirts also can be ordered through the 2003 Football Fan Guide, by using the appropriate line on page 15 of that publication. The cost is $10 per shirt. A complete description of the "On Game Day ... Go Gold" campaign also can be found on page 10 of the Fan Guide.

Businesses and organizations also can place their names and/or logos on the shirts.

Goals of the group include making Fridays on campus "Gold Days," by encouraging everyone on campus to wear gold shirts, and then to turn The Rock into a "sea of gold" every time the Golden Eagles take the field.