The Kansas Shrine Bowl joined the Crawford County
Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, the City of
Pittsburg, and Pittsburg State University in announcing that Pittsburg,
Kansas, has been selected to host the 33rd Kansas Shrine Bowl All-Star
Football Game and associated events on July 28-29, 2006.
The announcement was made by representatives of the
Pittsburg area and Shrine Bowl Executive Director, Dave Mize, on site at
Gorilla Village, PSU.
“This decision by the Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of
Directors was made thanks to the tremendous cooperation of the Pittsburg
business community, Pittsburg State University, the Pittsburg Chamber of
Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and local Shriners”, says
Mize. “This event will be a big benefit to Pittsburg and southeastern
Kansas, and a great benefit to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children.”
According to Mize, the Shrine Bowl is excited about
coming back to Pittsburg. “The Pittsburg community embraced this game in
2002, and we’re pleased to be welcomed back. It will be an exciting event
for football fans in this part of the state, and we’re looking forward to
coming back to Pittsburg and PSU. This is obviously a football town and the
people here love to help unfortunate kids, so the Kansas Shrine bowl in
Pittsburg is a NATURAL.”
The West won the 2002 game, the first-ever Shrine Bowl
game played in Pittsburg, 27-13
Main activities will include the annual Shrine Bowl
banquet Friday, July 28th, a parade through downtown Pittsburg the morning
of July 29th, and the game at Carnie Smith Stadium on the campus of
Pittsburg State University the evening of the 29th.
The game will feature the state’s best graduated high
school football players, and will also feature many of the top high school
band members and cheerleaders from across Kansas.
The West All-Stars lead the series 18-13-1. Many Shrine
Bowl players have gone on to stellar college careers, and some have starred
in the NFL, including Gary Spani, Mike Bell, Paul Coffman, Barry Sanders,
and Terrance Newman.
The events are produced by the Kansas Shrine Bowl to
bring attention to the state’s fine young talent, and to benefit Shriners
Hospitals for Children. Kansas children are treated free in Shriners
Hospitals for Children regardless of the child’s race, religion,
nationality, creed, or relationship to a Shriner. Through 2005, over 2.25
million dollars have been raised by the Shrine Bowl for the care and
treatment of Kansas kids. There are currently about 950 Kansas kids
receiving expert medical care and treatment at Shriners Hospitals for
Children.
The 2007 Kansas Shrine Bowl events will be in Hays.
Additional information and a link to Shriners Hospitals for Children can be
found at http://www.ksshrine.com
|
