The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl is rapidly approaching, but what is the history behind the college football all-star showcase?
What Is the Shrine Bowl?
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college football all-star game on the NFL draft circuit. Running since 1925, the game has featured 78 players who went on to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
Furthermore, over 200 former players have entered the College Football Hall of Fame in the nearly 100 years that the Shrine Bowl has been a prominent and important element of the NFL draft cycle.
Famous Shrine Bowl alumni include some of the greatest to ever play the game, including Tom Brady and John Elway. On average, over 300 East-West Shrine Bowl players make it onto an NFL roster each year.
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In short, the Shrine Bowl is an excellent opportunity for players to elevate their NFL draft stock in front of NFL decision-makers, enhancing their chances of continuing their football journey beyond the CFB level.
Yet, it’s more than that. While the 2023 Shrine Bowl will be a glamorous affair that features a “Shrine Bowl Live” event in addition to pre-game tailgating and, of course, the 98th edition of the East-West Shrine Bowl, the game is so much more than football.
Since its inception in 1925, the East-West Shrine Bowl has lived by the mission of being “more than just a game.” The game itself raises funds and awareness for the Shriners Children’s Hospital, where specialty care is provided for children with certain severe ailments regardless of the families ability to pay.
When Is the Shrine Bowl?
The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl will take place on Feb. 2, 2023. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. The longest-running college football all-star game has been held on or after Jan. 10 since 1986.
This year’s event forms part of the NFL’s Pro Bowl Week events. You can watch the 2023 Shrine Bowl game on NFL Network, while we will have comprehensive coverage from the home of the Shrine Bowl at Pro Football Network.
Where Is the Shrine Bowl Game Played?
For the second consecutive season, the Shrine Bowl will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The home of the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV Rebels college football program — a custom-built domed stadium that holds up to 71,835 — first hosted the Shrine Bowl game in 2022.
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Prior to moving to Las Vegas for the 2021 event, the Shrine Bowl had long been associated with St. Petersburg, Florida, having been held there from 2012-2020. However, the Shrine Bowl has a longstanding relationship with the west coast, with events held in San Francisco, Stanford, and Oakland making up a substantial part of the East-West Shrine Bowl Game history.
How Are Shrine Bowl Players Selected?
According to the East-West Shrine Bowl website, “players are selected based on their potential to make NFL rosters. A consensus of the 32 NFL teams is taken into consideration during player selection.”
Players selected for the East-West Shrine Bowl are divided into two teams, the East team and the West team. For the 2023 Shrine Bowl, the East team will be coached by the Atlanta Falcons, and the West team will be coached by the New England Patriots. But how are the players separated into these two teams?
“The general divide used to assign players to the East or West team is the Mississippi River,” the Shrine Bowl website continues. “However, exceptions are made to ensure that the best players are selected for the game, regardless of the location of their school.”
Additionally, “players must be college seniors and currently eligible to play for their school.” Unlike any other college football all-star game, the Shrine Bowl accepts players from programs both in the US and Canada.
Thanks to an exclusive media partnership with the Shrine Bowl, Pro Football Network has been able to dive behind the scenes of the player selection process from the formulation of initial watchlists all the way up to the invitation and acceptance stage.