College Football All-Star Game Coming to the Trop

Top college football stars from around the country will be hitting the gridiron in St. Petersburg in January 2012.

The 87th East-West Shrine Game is coming to St. Petersburg for the first time. On Jan. 21, 2012, the college all-star football game will kick-off at 4 p.m. a Tropicana Field.

Fans can purchase tickets for the game online at www.shrinegame.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 727-342-5777. 

All game tickets are $15 general admission tickets.

“This is the 87th annual edition of this college all-star football game, making it the longest running college all-star game in the country,” said Harold Richardson, Executive Director of the East-West Shrine Game in a news release.

“We are happy to be playing for the first time at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and are pleased by the overwhelming community support we have received. This is a great family event and supports a great cause, helping Shriners Hospitals for Children provide state of the art medical care to children in need,” Richardson said.

More than just a game, it has emerged as a showcase for up-and-coming NFL talents. Fifty-two players from the 2011 East-West Shrine Game are currently on active NFL rosters and 18 players on NFL practice squads.

The 2012 game promises to showcase the top NFL prospects from colleges around the country, the news release said. 

Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Game has helped raise money and awareness for Shriners Hospitals for Children, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. 

According to the news release, children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.