1. The game has been played for nearly 100 years.
The first East-West Shrine Game was played in 1925 in San Francisco. When the game was first held in 1925, it was the first college football all-star game to ever be played. This year's Shrine Game will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida after having been held in California and Texas previously. The Shrine Game arrived in Orlando in 2010 and relocated again to St. Petersburg in 2012, where it has been held since.
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Players competing for the West in the 2016 Shrine Game.
Via News-Press Sports on Twitter
Via the University of Manitoba
- The game benefits a charity.**
The Shrine Game benefits Shriners Hospital for Children, which specializes in burn care, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate treatment. The hospital has numerous locations throughout the United States, including one in Tampa.
3. The West has the all-time lead.
So far, the West team has the edge on the East team, 47-37. On five different occasions, the Shrine Game has ended in a tie. The East has been the better team for the past few years, though, having won five of the past eight games, including the last two.
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Players competing for the East in the 2016 Shrine Game.
Via Calgary Athletics
Via Laval University
Via Liberty University
Via Christian Shanafelt on Twitter
- A Buccaneer great will be coaching.**
Mike Alstott will be the running backs coach for the East team at this year's Shrine Game. Alstott was selected for the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor this past season after scoring 58 rushing touchdowns during his playing career in Tampa Bay, which are the most in franchise history.
5. It will be broadcast nationally.
The Shrine Game will be broadcast live on NFL Network. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. The next major college football all-star game will be the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on January 30th.
