January 14, 2000
U-M Senior Football Players Prepare for Bowl Games
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Five University of Michigan senior football players are in San Mateo, Calif., preparing for the 75th Annual East-West Shrine Bowl, played at Stanford Stadium tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 15). The game will be televised nationally by ESPN, beginning at 4 p.m. EST. Michigan's contingent leading the East squad are quarterback Tom Brady (San Mateo, Calif./Serra HS), rush linebacker James Hall (New Orleans, La./St. Augustine HS), inside linebacker Dhani Jones (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill HS), wide receiver Marcus Knight (Sylacauga, Ala./Comer HS) and nose tackle Rob Renes (Holland, Mich./West Ottawa HS). The five Wolverines playing in the game are the most of any collegiate institution sending players into competition at the East-West Shrine bowl. Inside linebacker Ian Gold (Belleville, Mich./Belleville HS) and fullback Aaron Shea (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa HS) have been selected to play in next weekend's (Saturday, Jan. 22) Delchamp's Senior Bowl held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will be televised nationally on the TBS Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST. In addition to their participation in the Shrine Bowl, 1999 co-captains Brady and Renes are scheduled to participate in the Rivals.com Hula Bowl next weekend at War Memorial Stadium (Saturday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. EST) on Maui. The game will be carried nationally by ESPN. Strong safety Tommy Hendricks (Houston, Texas/Eisenhower HS) as well as Jones and Knight have been invited to play in the second annual Gridiron Classic slated for Saturday, Jan. 29, on ESPN2 (2 p.m.). The game, played at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, pits an All-Florida squad against an All-USA team made up of players from across the country. This would be the first year that a Michigan player(s) participated in the Gridiron Classic game.

JANUARY 14, 2000
Shrine Bowl doesn't pay, so players stay away
STANFORD, Calif. -- None of the 10 players who got Heisman Trophy votes this season accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, the oldest college all-star game. East coach Steve Spurrier says the reason is simple: Money. "This is one of the few all-star games at which the coaches and players are not paid. We do it because it's a wonderful cause," said Spurrier, who led Florida to a 9-4 record this season. "Nowadays, unfortunately, society is such that a lot of people don't look at it that way, and they say, "What's in it for me?' or "How much are you going to pay me to do it?"' In its 75th year of benefitting Shriners hospitals across North America, the game was rejected by many of the nation's top players. The lack of financial incentives is just one of the reasons that East-West game rosters, which in the past featured players ranging from Don Meredith to Brett Favre, have been diluted in recent years. Some stars are siphoned off by competing all-star games, and others are held out by agents who feel players should wait until the NFL combine to show off for pro scouts rather than risk injury in all-star games. The players who will be performing in Saturday's game have a variety of motivations for accepting their invitations. Stanford quarterback Todd Husak is eager to play one more college game on his home field. Ohio State cornerback Ahmed Plummer wants a little more national exposure after a disappointing season that included no bowl game for his Buckeyes. For Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, it's the first chance to play before his neighbors since high school. Brady is from nearby San Mateo. "The only time we played in California while I was at Michigan was in the Rose Bowl, and a lot of people from this area didn't get a chance to see me in that game," he said. And for California cornerback Deltha O'Neal, who grew up nearby in Palo Alto and Milpitas, it's the fulfillment of a childhood dream. As a youngster, some of his college heroes played in the East-West game. "I would come up here and watch them. I got tickets through the Boys and Girls Club, because my mom used to work there," O'Neal said. "I'd be up there running around with a little football, wishing I was playing."

The East-West Shrine Bowl and Pageant has never been "just another football game." The Shrine East-West Bowl, the oldest and one of the most respected of the post-season collegiate bowl games, distinguishes itself through the quality of the players and coaches, as well as the excitement of the game. But that's not what makes it "Football's Finest Hour." What makes the East-West Bowl so special is its true purpose — helping to support Shriners Hospitals. Every year since 1925, the East-West Bowl has been played to raise money for Shriners Hospitals and to help make the public aware of the expert orthopaedic and burn care available free of charge at the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children. To date, the game has raised more than $13 million for Shriners Hospitals and has helped inform millions of people about the mission of this extraordinary philanthropy. It is televised annually on ESPN, reaching more than 30 million viewers with the message of free, expert orthopaedic and burn care for children. The players themselves regard the game in a special light, as they learn the true purpose of the game during a pre-game visit to the Shriners Hospital in San Francisco. There, they visit with patients and take to heart the game's slogan, "Strong legs run that weak legs might walk." Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, a Shriner himself, played in the 1935 Shrine East-West Game. He said, "It was one of the biggest thrills of my life to play in the 1935 Shrine Game and play for Shriners Hospitals. We lost the game, but more importantly, the Shrine's Hospital Program was the beneficiary." Ford's words speak to the game's true meaning. No matter which side wins, the game's real winners are the children at Shriners Hospitals.

East-West Game to be televised Jan. 15, 2000, at 1 p.m. PST on ESPN The annual East-West Shrine Bowl is more than just a game. America's oldest and most prestigious college all-star football classic not only showcases the finest graduating players seeking professional gridiron careers, but also serves as a fund-raising event for Shriners Hospitals for Children. This "granddaddy" of all post-season college all-star games, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in the year 2000, will be held at 1 p.m. PST on Saturday, January 15, at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. Over the past 74 years, the game has raised more than $14 million for Shriners Hospitals. Selected as head coaches are Steve Spurrier of the University of Florida and Bruce Snyder of Arizona State University. Spurrier will direct the East squad and Snyder, the West squad. To help celebrate the 75th anniversary, Shrine Bowl officials have invited a number of alumni who went on to distinguish themselves in professional football and in other career fields. The invitees include former President Gerald Ford, John Elway, Roger Staubach, Gale Sayers, "Mean" Joe Greene, and others. The alumni will be honored at a ceremony on game day. For the players, coaches, officials, volunteers, Shriners and general public, there is a week-long schedule of activities leading up to the game. Activities include a "Meet the Players" family day, an East-West/Buick invitational golf tournament, an NFL workout day for the players to display their skills before NFL scouts, a Shrine Bowl luncheon for players and the public, and an awards dinner for the players, which is also open to the public. The highlight of the week for the participants is a visit to the Shriners Hospital in Sacramento on Monday, January 10, to meet with the children, sign autographs for them -- and just put smiles on the faces of the patients there. At the same time, the 78 players from the United States and Canada will find out what Shriners Hospitals are all about and will carry this experience with them throughout the rest of their lives. The publicity that the East-West Shrine Bowl generates, over and above the financial support, for the 22 Shriners Hospitals goes a long way in promoting the quality medical care offered by these hospitals. The game will be seen by millions of viewers again this year as it will be telecast nationally on ESPN. Game Director Jeff Foster said, "This 75th anniversary game will be an exciting event for everyone. As for our many thousands of Shriners, they continue to provide vital support to our game by purchasing game tickets through the Hall of Fame Program and by attending these annual games in person." "However, of equal importance is the need for every Shriner to watch the game's live telecast on ESPN. I'm sure you will enjoy the excitement of the game, the color of the pageantry, and will take great pride in seeing the Shriners Hospitals' message broadcast loud and clear to the world," said Foster. "By having your TV tuned in to ESPN, you'll help to increase our television ratings which will help to ensure future coverage of the game and increase our potential to obtain valuable sponsors and advertisers. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to tune in also." For additional information on the East-West Shrine Bowl, visit the game's Web site at http://www.shrinegame.com/.

Saturday, Jan. 15 4:00pm ET
Brady-to-Knight connection pays off
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- The six touchdown passes Marcus Knight caught for Michigan this season earned him a place in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The four he caught Saturday made him the star of the nation's oldest college all-star game. Knight had scoring receptions of 10, 8, 8 and 6 yards as the East defeated the West 35-21 in the 75th edition of the Shrine game. Three of those TD passes came from Florida's Doug Johnson, the fourth from Michigan teammate Tom Brady. West Virginia's Jerry Porter added a 55-yard touchdown on a pass from Brady, who went to high school a few miles away in San Mateo and was playing before his neighbors for the first time while wearing a Michigan helmet. Fresno State's Jeff Hanna tied a Shrine Bowl record with a 52-yard field goal and also kicked a 44-yarder for the West. Chad Morton added a 1-yard scoring run and Trevor Insley caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Keith Smith for the West. Following a fumble by Smith, Johnson hit Knight with a 10-yard scoring pass with 34 seconds remaining for the final margin. Only about a quarter of the 84,000 seats at Stanford Stadium were filled for a game that has lost much of its luster in recent years. The Shrine game no longer attracts the nation's top players. The East-West game, which in the past featured players such as John Elway and Brett Favre, gets rejected by a lot of top players because -- unlike some other all-star games -- it does not pay players or coaches. Hanna opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal midway through the first period and Morton's scoring run made it 10-0 later in that quarter. Ohio State's Ahmed Plummer returned an interception 31 yards to the West 26 to set up Knight's first 8-yard TD reception, one play after Brady connected with Syracuse wide receiver Quinton Spotwood for an 18-yard gain, midway through the second period. Hanna kicked a 52-yarder 23 seconds before halftime. The East took the lead for good on Knight's second 8-yard scoring reception, this one from Johnson, on a 14-yard drive set up by a blocked punt early in the third period. An interception by LSU's Mark Roman on the first play after the touchdown set up another scoring reception by Knight, this time a 6-yard pass from Johnson to complete a 48-yard drive to make it 21-13. Porter took a short pass from Brady and broke two tackles on his way to the end zone to extend the West's lead to 28-13 later in the third period. Insley caught his scoring pass, and then a 2-point conversion pass from Smith, midway through the fourth quarter to pull the West within 28-21.