East–West Shrine Bowl

East–West Shrine Bowl
East-West Shrine Game PR logo.gif
The game's logo, featuring a young girl recovering from surgery walking with Boston College player Mike Esposito before the 1974 game.
StadiumAllegiant Stadium
LocationParadise, Nevada
Previous stadiumsKezar Stadium (1925–1941, 1943–1968, 1971–1973)
Stanford Stadium (1969, 1974–2000)
Tulane Stadium (1942)
Oakland Coliseum (1970)
AT&T Park (2001–2005)
Alamodome (2006)
Reliant Stadium (2007)
Robertson Stadium (2008–2009)
Orlando Citrus Bowl (2010–2011)
Tropicana Field (2012–2020)
Previous locationsSan Francisco, California (1925–1941, 1943–1968, 1971–1973, 2001–2005)
New Orleans, Louisiana (1942)
Stanford, California (1969, 1974–2000)
Oakland, California (1971)
San Antonio, Texas (2006)
Houston, Texas (2007–2009)
Orlando, Florida (2010–2011)
St. Petersburg, Florida (2012–2020)
Operated1925–present
Sponsors
Shriners (1925–present)
Former names
East–West Shrine Game (1925–2019)
2020 matchup
East vs. West (East 31–27)
2022 matchup
East vs. West (February 3, 2022)

The East–West Shrine Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game that has been played annually since 1925; through the January 2019 playing, it was known as the East–West Shrine Game. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Shriners International, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The game's slogan is "Strong Legs Run That Weak Legs May Walk".

Teams consist of players from colleges in the Eastern United States vs. the Western United States. Players must be college seniors who are eligible to play for their schools. The game and the practice sessions leading up to it attract dozens of scouts from professional teams. Since 1985, Canadian players playing in Canadian university football have also been invited (even though U Sports and the NCAA play by different football codes). As such, this is the only current bowl or all-star game in either the Canadian or American college football schedules to include players from both Canadian and American universities.

Since 1979, the game has been played in January, and has been played on January 10 or later since 1986. The later game dates allow players from teams whose schools were involved in bowl games to participate, which is important, as these teams often have some of the very best players.

History

Kickoff of the 2017 game at Tropicana Field

For most of its history, the game was played in the San Francisco Bay Area, usually at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium or Stanford Stadium at Stanford University, with Pacific Bell Park/SBC Park (now Oracle Park) as a host in its final years in Northern California. For more than half of the games played in the Bay Area, entertainment was provided by the marching band from Santa Cruz High School.

In January 1942, the game was played in New Orleans, due to the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This one-year relocation was based upon fears that playing the game on the west coast could make the contest and the stadium a potential target for an additional attack. The game, originally planned for January 1 in San Francisco, was played on January 3 at Tulane Stadium, two days after the 1942 Sugar Bowl was held there.

A similar all-star game, the North–South Shrine Game, was played in Miami from 1948 to 1973, and a final time in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1976.

In 2006, the game moved to Texas, leaving the San Francisco Bay area for the first time since 1942, and was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The growth of cable television meant NFL scouts could now view players around the country, making postseason all-star games less important. Even so, the game's organizers relaxed efforts towards attracting top players to the game, meaning many of college football's best players went to the Senior Bowl instead. In 2007, the game relocated to Houston and was played at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans, to be closer to one of the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children; Texas has two Shriner's hospitals, one in Houston and the other in Galveston. The 2008 and 2009 games were held at Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston.

In 2010, the game moved to Florida, and was held at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Television coverage moved from ESPN/ESPN2 to the NFL Network, starting with the 2011 game. After two years in Orlando, the 2012 game was held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg; it was the sixth different venue (in five cities and three states) in a span of eight contests.

Starting with the January 2017 game, the NFL now supplies coaching staffs for the game, drawing from assistant coaches of teams who did not advance to the NFL postseason, and the game is now officiated by NFL officials. The game is played under NFL rules, with some restrictions, such as no motion or shifts by the offense, and no stunts or blitzes by the defense. Prior to the January 2020 playing, organizers renamed the game from East–West Shrine Game to East–West Shrine Bowl.

The 2021 edition of the game, which had been scheduled for January 23, was cancelled due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2021, it was announced that Allegiant Stadium would host the East–West Shrine Bowl on February 3, 2022; the game will be held as part of festivities for the 2022 Pro Bowl being held there the following Sunday.

Game results

Through the 2020 playing of the game (95 editions), the West leads all-time with 51 wins to the East's 39 wins, while five games have tied.

dagger For the December 1925 game, NCAA records list a 7–0 final score, while contemporary newspaper accounts report 6–0.

MVPs

The game first named a Most Valuable Player for the January 1945 playing (Bob Waterfield, UCLA quarterback), and named a single MVP through the December 1952 game. Starting with the January 1954 game, two MVPs are selected for each game; they receive the William H. Coffman Award for Most Outstanding Offensive Player, and the E. Jack Spaulding Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Coffman was managing director of the game for 40 years, while Spaulding was one of the organizers of the inaugural playing of the game. MVPs starting with the January 2000 game are listed below; a complete list is provided on the official website.

Year Offensive MVP College Position Defensive MVP College Position
2000 Marcus Knight Michigan WR Erik Flowers Arizona State DE
2001 Steve Smith Utah WR Leo Barnes Southern Mississippi DB
2002 Deonce Whitaker San Jose State RB Everick Rawls Texas LB
2003 Donald Lee Mississippi State TE Tully Banta-Cain Cal DE
2004 Ryan Dinwiddie Boise State QB Brandon Chillar UCLA LB
2005 Stefan LeFors Louisville QB Alex Green Duke S
2006 Reggie McNeal Texas A&M QB James Wyche Syracuse DE
2007 Jeff Rowe Nevada QB Dan Bazuin Central Michigan DE
2008 Josh Johnson San Diego QB Spencer Larsen Arizona LB
2009 Marlon Lucky Nebraska RB Michael Tauiliili Duke LB
2010 Mike Kafka Northwestern QB O'Brien Schofield Wisconsin DE
2011 Delone Carter Syracuse RB Martin Parker Richmond DT
2012 Lennon Creer Louisiana Tech RB Nick Sukay Penn State CB
2013 Chad Bumphis Mississippi State WR Nigel Malone Kansas State CB
2014 Jimmy Garoppolo Eastern Illinois QB Ethan Westbrooks West Texas A&M DE
2015 Marvin Kloss South Florida K Za'Darius Smith Kentucky DE
2016 Vernon Adams Oregon QB Michael Caputo Wisconsin S
2017 Elijah McGuire Louisiana–Lafayette RB Trey Hendrickson Florida Atlantic DE
2018 Daurice Fountain Northern Iowa WR Natrell Jamerson Wisconsin S
2019 Terry Godwin Georgia WR Justin Hollins Oregon LB
2020 Benny LeMay Charlotte RB Luther Kirk Illinois State S

Canadian invitees

Although the game is an American football competition, players of Canadian university football, contested under Canadian football rules, have been invited every year since 1985, when Calgary Dinos offensive lineman Tom Spoletini played. Usually, Canadian players on the West team come from Canada West schools, while Canadian players on the East team are from the other three Canadian conferences (Ontario University Athletics, Atlantic University Sport, and Quebec Student Sport Federation). One exception was Sean McEwen of the Calgary Dinos (a Canada West school), who played on the East squad in the 2016 game. Through the 2020 game, the Calgary Dinos have had the most invitees, with 13.

The only Canadian team that competes under American football rules is the Simon Fraser Clan. To date, the only Simon Fraser player to be invited to the game is Ibrahim Khan, who played in 2004.

Canadian invitees to the East–West Shrine Bowl 
Year West team East team
1985 Tom Spoletini (OL, Calgary Dinos) (none)
1986 Kent Warnock (DE, Calgary Dinos) Mike Schad (OT, Queen's Gaels)
1987 Leo Groenewegen (OT, UBC Thunderbirds) Louie Godry (OL, Guelph Gryphons)
1988 Craig Watson (OL, Calgary Dinos) Pierre Vercheval (OL, Western Mustangs)
1989 Brent Korte (DE, Alberta Golden Bears) Leroy Blugh (LB, Bishop's Gaiters)
1990 Mark Singer (LB, Alberta Golden Bears) Chris Gioskos (OL, Ottawa Gee-Gees)
1991 Mike Pavelec (OL, Calgary Dinos) Paul Vajda (OL, Concordia Stingers)
1992 Jason Rauhaus (DE, Manitoba Bisons) Chris Morris (OL, Toronto Varsity Blues)
1993 Chris Konrad (DE, Calgary Dinos) Mike O'Shea (LB, Guelph Gryphons)
1994 Travis Serke (OT, Saskatchewan Huskies) Val St. Germain (OG, McGill Redmen)
1995 Rohn Meyer (OG, Calgary Dinos) Matthieu Quiviger (OT, McGill Redmen)
1996 Don Blair (WR, Calgary Dinos) Harry Van Hofwegen (DT, Carleton Ravens)
1997 Ben Fairbrother (OL, Calgary Dinos) Mark Farraway (DL, St. Francis Xavier X-Men)
1998 Bob Beveridge (OL, UBC Thunderbirds) Dave Miller-Johnston (P/K, Concordia Stingers)
1999 Scott Flory (OT, Saskatchewan Huskies) Cameron Legault (DT, Carleton Ravens)
2000 Kevin Lefsrud (OT, Saskatchewan Huskies) Kojo Millington (DE, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks)
2001 Carlo Panaro (OL, Alberta Golden Bears) Randy Chevrier (DL, McGill Redmen)
2002 Jason Clermont (IR, Regina Rams) Kojo Aidoo (RB, McMaster Marauders)
2003 Israel Idonije (DT, Manitoba Bisons) Adam MacDonald (LB, St. Francis Xavier X-Men)
2004 Ibrahim Khan (OL, Simon Fraser Clan football) Carl Gourgues (OL, Laval Rouge et Or)
2005 Nick Johansson (DT, UBC Thunderbirds) Jesse Lumsden (RB, McMaster Marauders)
2006 Daniel Federkeil (DE, Calgary Dinos) Andy Fantuz (WR, Western Mustangs)
2007 Jordan Rempel (OL, Saskatchewan Huskies) Chris Best (OL, Waterloo Warriors)
2008 Dylan Barker (S, Saskatchewan Huskies)
Brendon LaBatte (OG, Regina Rams)
Samuel Giguère (WR, Sherbrooke Vert et Or)
Eric Maranda (LB, Laval Rouge et Or)
2009 Simeon Rottier (OT, Alberta Golden Bears) Etienne Légaré (DT, Laval Rouge et Or)
2010 Jordan Sisco (WR/SB, Regina Rams) Matt Morencie (C, Windsor Lancers)
2011 Anthony Parker (SB, Calgary Dinos) Matt O'Donnell (OT, Queen's Gaels)
2012 Ben Heenan (OT, Saskatchewan Huskies)
Akiem Hicks (DE, Regina Rams)
Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (DE, Laval Rouge et Or)
2013 Kirby Fabien (OL, Calgary Dinos) Matt Sewell (OT, McMaster Marauders)
2014 Evan Gill (DL, Manitoba Bisons) Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (OT, McGill Redmen)
2015 Addison Richards (WR, Regina Rams) Daryl Waud (DL, Western Mustangs)
2016 David Onyemata (DE, Manitoba Bisons) Sean McEwen, (OL, Calgary Dinos)
Charles Vaillancourt (OL, Laval Rouge et Or)
2017 Geoff Gray (OG, Manitoba Bisons) Antony Auclair (TE, Laval Rouge et Or)
2018 Mark Korte (OL, Alberta Golden Bears) Regis Cibasu (WR, Montreal Carabins)
2019 Joel Van Pelt (DT, Calgary Dinos) Mathieu Betts (DE, Laval Rouge et Or)
2020 Carter O'Donnell (OT, Alberta Golden Bears)
Marc-Antoine Dequoy (S, Montreal Carabins)
(none)

Hall of fame

A hall of fame was established in 2002, with additional former players being added each year. Through 2020 inductees, there are currently 61 members of the hall of fame.

Year Qty Inductees (Game no. played in)
2002 6 Dick Butkus (No. 40), Gerald Ford (No. 10), Eddie LeBaron (No. 25), Ollie Matson (No. 27), Volney Peters (No. 26), Dick Stanfel (No. 26)
2003 6 Hugh McElhenny (No. 28), Craig Morton (No. 40), Merlin Olsen (No. 37), Alan Page (No. 42), Leslie Richter (No. 27), Gene Washington (No. 44)
2004 5 Chris Burford (No. 35), Mike Garrett (No. 41), Gino Marchetti (No. 27), Tom Matte (No. 36), Ed White (No. 44)
2005 1 Pat Tillman (No. 73)
2006 4 Raymond Berry (No. 30), Joe Greene (No. 44), Mike Haynes (No. 51), Bob Lilly (No. 36)
2007 4 Joe DeLamielleure (No. 48), Gale Sayers (No. 40), Paul Warfield (No. 39), Randy White (No. 50)
2008 6 Dave Butz (No. 48), Carl Eller (No. 39), Forrest Gregg (No. 31), E.J. Holub (No. 36), Lenny Moore (No. 31), Larry Wilson (No. 35)
2009 4 Jerry Kramer (No. 33), Charley Taylor (No. 39), Brad Van Pelt (No. 48), Doug Williams (No. 53)
2010 4 Larry Csonka (No. 43), James Groh (No. 21), Jim Walden (No. 35), Kellen Winslow (No. 54)
2011 2 Buck Belue (No. 57), Tom Flick (No. 56)
2012 2 Martín Gramática (No. 74), Joey Harrington (No. 77)
2013 2 Buddy Curry (No. 55), Steve Bartkowski (No. 50)
2014 2 Tony Berti (No. 70), Steve Atwater (No. 64)
2015 2 Tommie Frazier (No. 71), Jim Hanifan (No. 30)
2016 2 Rickey Jackson (No. 56), Chris Chandler (No. 63)
2017 2 Robert Porcher (No. 67), Mark Rypien (No. 61)
2018 3 Brett Favre (No. 66), Willie Roaf (No. 68), Gary Huff (No. 48)
2019 2 Troy Vincent (No. 67), Barry Smith (No. 48)
2020 2 Will Shields (No. 68), Dan Pastorini (No. 46)

Inductees range from having played in game No. 10 (January 1935) to game No. 77 (January 2002), with game No. 48 (December 1972) having the most players honored with five.

Pat Tillman Award

2011 recipient Josh McNary

Game organizers initiated a Pat Tillman Award in 2005, the year that Tillman was posthumously inducted to the game's hall of fame, to recognize "a player who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service".

Year Player Pos. College
2005 Morgan Scalley S Utah
2006 Charlie Peprah S Alabama
2007 Kyle Shotwell LB Cal Poly
2008 Justin Tryon DB Arizona State
2009 Collin Mooney FB Army
2010 Mike McLaughlin LB Boston College
2011 Josh McNary LB Army
2012 Tauren Poole RB Tennessee
2013 Keith Pough LB Howard
2014 Gabe Ikard C Oklahoma
2015 Jake Ryan LB Michigan
2016 Keenan Reynolds QB Navy
2017 Weston Steelhammer S Air Force
2018 J. T. Barrett QB Ohio State
2019 Cody Barton LB Utah
2020 James Morgan QB FIU

Head coaches who played in the game

Several people have participated in the game first as a player and subsequently as a head coach.

Person As player As coach
Jeff Cravath 1927 USC 1949 USC
Chuck Taylor 1943 Stanford 1954 Stanford
Eddie Crowder 1952 Oklahoma 1971 Colorado
Jim Walden 1960 Wyoming 1985 Washington State
Joe Tiller 1963 Montana State 2005 Purdue

This page was last updated at 2022-08-26 20:37 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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