Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's Nov. 21 road meeting with Ohio Valley Conference-member Eastern Kentucky is now being billed as the inaugural Opportunity Bowl, the two schools announced today.
 
The game, which is scheduled for a 3 pm kickoff at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Ky., is dedicated to the late Dr. Sheila Davidson Pressley, the former Dean of Health Sciences at EKU who also served as the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). Dr. Pressley passed away at the age of 52 back in late January 2020. Born in Asheville, N.C., Pressley was a 1989 graduate of Western Carolina University with a bachelor's degree in environmental science. A tremendous influence on EKU's campus, Pressley accredited her time at WCU in springboarding her professional career.
 
"Once our season opener with Western Carolina was moved to the end of the year, knowing about Dr. Pressley's ties to both WCU and EKU as a student and in service, respectively, I began to collaborate with WCU to pay tribute to her in this way," said EKU Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan. "This game provides us with a platform to discuss her legacy and highlight many of the things important to her, including eliminating barriers to education and advocating for early childhood education, among other opportunity-focused initiatives at EKU."
 
The two teams will play for the right to hoist the Opportunity Bowl trophy, which is being presented by Dinsmore & Shohl – a full-service national law firm with over 650 attorneys. The Opportunity Bowl is made possible by corporate sponsors and the city of Richmond, Kentucky – visitrichmondky.com.
 
The Nov. 21 match-up with EKU – which opted out of a spring conference season in the Ohio Valley Conference in favor of playing a full slate this fall – is the sixth overall in the all-time series between the two programs. The frontend of a scheduled two-year home-and-home agreement, this fall's meeting is also the first since 2009 – a 24-7 road win for the Catamounts.
 
Western Carolina opens the fall portion of its 2020-21 football schedule on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a Noon kickoff at NCAA FBS-independent Liberty in Lynchburg, Va.
 
Catamount football takes center stage in the next installment of "Catamount Conversations," presented by Stanberry Insurance on Monday (Oct. 26) night. Ninth-year head coach Mark Speir, offensive coordinator John Holt, and defensive coordinator Andy McCollum are the scheduled guests beginning at 7 pm to offer a quick insight into the off-season and update on fall preseason practice. Fans can watch and submit questions via the Facebook LIVE event with streaming also available through the department's YouTube channel. The event is the second of three scheduled broadcasts streams with a fourth anticipated for December.
   
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through social media outlets including Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
 
WCU's Fall 2020 Football Schedule:
Sat., Nov. 14 – at Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.) – Noon on ESPN3
Sat., Nov. 21 – at Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.) – 3 pm on ESPN3
Friday, Dec. 11 – at North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.) – 7 pm on ACC Network
 
Upcoming Facebook LIVE / YouTube Broadcasts:
Monday, Oct. 26 – Catamount Football Preview – 7 pm
Monday, Nov. 9 – Catamount Men's and Women's Basketball Preview – 7 pm