The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college football all-star game and has sent a plethora of players to the league, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, where is the Shrine Bowl played?
Where Is the Shrine Bowl Game Played?
The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The home of the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV Rebels college football program will play host to the 98th edition of the longest-running all-star game for the second consecutive season.
Last season marked the first time that the East-West Shrine Bowl was held in Las Vegas.
In it, 14,679 fans, media, and scouts, plus many more watching at home on NFL Network, saw the West Team withstand a fourth-quarter charge from the East Team to hold on to a 25-24 victory in a game where Brown QB E.J. Perry and Navy LB Diego Fagot were named offensive and defensive MVP, respectively.
While Las Vegas is where the Shrine Bowl is played now, the event has a long-running history with the west coast. In 1925, the original Shrine Bowl was played in Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, and remained there except for 1942 (Tulane Stadium, New Orleans), 1970 (Oakland Coliseum, Oakland), and 1969 (Stanford Stadium, Stanford) until 1973.
In 1974, Stanford became the long-term home of the Shrine Bowl, hosting the event at Stanford Stadium until 2000 before a return to San Francisco between 2001 and 2005. Between those years, the Shrine Bowl was held at AT&T Park — the baseball stadium now known as Oracle Park — home of the San Francisco Giants.
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However, in 2006, the Shrine Bowl left the west coast and laid roots in the south. The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, hosted the 2006 edition of the longest-running college football all-star event before Houston took a turn for a three-year span.
Reliant Stadium (now NRG Stadium) hosted the game in 2007 before Robertson Stadium held the event in 2008 and 2009. The former home of the Houston Cougars was demolished following the 2012 college football season.
In 2010, the Shrine Bowl headed east, in a move that ensured the event became synonymous with the Florida area. The Orlando Citrus Bowl held the 2010 and 2011 events, but a more permanent move to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg in 2012 allowed the event to be more closely aligned with the headquarters of Shriners Hospital.
The opportunity for players to visit children at the Shriners Hospital in Tampa typifies the Shrine Bowl’s mantra of “more than just a game.”
Why Las Vegas?
In 2021, the question of, where is the Shrine Bowl played, got a new answer. The East-West Shrine Bowl announced that for the 97th edition, the longest-running CFB all-star game would be held in Vegas. The inaugural staging at Allegiant Stadium tied in with Las Vegas holding the 2022 NFL Draft. But, why make the move from Florida to Las Vegas?
In a move to more greatly align the Shrine Bowl and the NFL, the move to Vegas allowed the all-star game to be a cornerstone of the NFL Pro Bowl week.
It also allows the game to use one of the top professional stadiums, creating an environment where athletes can showcase their talent to the best of their abilities while helping create a “best in class” experience on and off the field.
Announcing the decision to head to Las Vegas and align directly with the NFL in this manner was described as a “historic day for the East-West Shrine Bowl and Shriners Children’s,” in a statement from Bob Roller — direct of national sports management for Shriners Children’s — in July 2021.
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“Our goal was to expand the reach and mission of our healthcare system and to hold a world-class sporting event, and this partnership with the NFL and Pro Bowl Week greatly enhances our ongoing mission that has helped more than 1.5 million children since opening in 1922,” Roller continued.
While there are multiple and considerable benefits for the Shrine Bowl of being held in Las Vegas, Steve Hill — CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority — explained why the decision to host the event in Paradise is a mutually beneficial decision for all involved.
“We’re thrilled that the East-West Shrine Bowl will be coming to Las Vegas as part of NFL Pro Bowl Week, and to welcome such a prestigious event for the student-athletes and their fans.
“Las Vegas has become the Sports Capital of the World, and adding this bowl game showcasing college football’s elite certainly enhances that standing.”