Former Missouri Western kicker Greg Zuerlein will be participating in the annual East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, January 21, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game will be played at Tropicana Field home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Zuerlein is the first Griffon to have the opporntunity to play in the shrine game.

Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Game has pitted the best college football players from the East and West sides of the United States against one another in a thrilling all-star game played to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The game – and the practice sessions before it – attract dozens of NFL scouts and is often a launch pad to a career as a professional football player. Today’s East-West Shrine Game has grown far beyond its California-based roots into a nationally celebrated and televised event that attracts tens of thousands of fans and raises funds and awareness for the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Throughout the history of the East-West Shrine Game®, players have been chosen because they are the very best in the country. In fact, there are 246 former East-West Shrine Game players on current NFL rosters.

Each year the players visit a Shriners Hospitals for Children® as part of their game-week activities. For many players, this visit is an opportunity to develop a philanthropic relationship that can last a lifetime.
The coaches.

Coaching the East-West Shrine Game is as significant an honor as playing. The coaches are former NFL coaches selected for their knowledge, experience and accomplishments throughout their careers. Each head coach brings along with him three of his own assistant coaches to round out his lead team. The coach for the West squad in 2012 is Brad Childress and Bobby Ross will coach the east.

— MWSU Sports Information —