The East-West Shrine Bowl will unveil the rosters for the 99th edition of its historic college football all-star game on Friday but for the first time since 1985, a player from a Canadian university will not be among those announced.
Game officials have confirmed to 3DownNation that the 38-year-long tradition of inviting U Sports athletes to the event will come to an end in 2024. The change has been rumoured to be in the works for several years, with the Shrine Bowl inviting just one Canadian university prospect in each of the past two seasons instead of the previous minimum of two.
Established in 1925, the Shrine Bowl is the oldest college football all-star game in existence, boasting 78 Pro Football Hall of Fame alumni. However, it has long trailed the Senior Bowl in terms of talent level and cache. That is something the game has been attempting to change in recent years, cozying up to the NFL and going so far as to move their game to Las Vegas last season to partner with the Pro Bowl.
This year’s game is set to take place at Ford Center in Frisco, Tex. but will once again compete with the Senior Bowl via an overlapping schedule. The two games, along with the smaller HBCU Legacy Bowl, are the only events officially sanctioned by the NFL to invite draft-eligible underclassmen to participate, a significant change that was adopted this year. Amid those changes, the desire to showcase unheralded Canadian talent has faded.
University of Calgary offensive lineman Tom Spoletini was the first U Sports player to attend the event in 1985, kicking off the annual tradition. 77 different players from north of the border have been given the honour in the years since, including Canadian Football Hall of Famers like Pierre Vercheval, Leroy Blugh, Mike O’Shea, and Scott Flory.
The Shrine Bowl has served as a launching point for several high-profile Canadian NFL careers, beginning in 1986 when Queen’s offensive lineman Mike Schad became a surprise first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams. Manitoba defensive lineman Israel Idonije went on to have a 12-year NFL career after attending in 2004 and Regina defensive tackle Akiem Hicks translated the opportunity into a Pro Bowl career after being drafted in the third round in 2012.
Calgary offensive lineman Dan Federkeil in 2006, McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif in 2014, and Laval tight end Antony Auclair in 2017 all turned their opportunities into Super Bowl rings. Two current Canadian NFL players came through the event: Manitoba defensive tackle David Onyemata, who was the last U Sports player to be drafted in 2016, and Alberta offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell, who attended virtually in 2020.
University of British Columbia offensive lineman Theo Benedet was the last U Sports prospect to attend the Shrine Bowl in 2023 and impressed scouts at the game. Though he ultimately elected to defer his draft year and return to school, the exposure helped drive dozens of NFL talent evaluators up to Vancouver to see the two-time J.P. Metras Trophy winner in person last season. He recently attended the College Gridiron Showcase and has a chance to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While players from Canadian universities may return to the game in the future, it appears the Shrine Bowl will now take a year-by-year approach to evaluating if there is a prospect worth inviting.
Thankfully, this year’s game will still feature some Canadian talent in the form of Howard University offensive tackle Anim Dankwah, who was raised in Brampton, Ont. Toronto Argonauts cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers, the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2023, has also been granted permission to take part after declaring for the draft.
The 99th East-West Shrine Bowl is scheduled to be played on Thursday, February 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NFL Network.
