Program aims to increase professional development opportunities for coaches and draft-eligible players
The East West Shrine Bowl, in partnership with the NFL, announced the 2021 coaches who will participate in this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl Professional Development Opportunity. The strengthened program is designed to continue growing the game through the development of personnel and increasing engagement with players through all levels of their athletic life cycle.
At the conclusion of the NFL regular season, clubs nominated active assistant coaches who were reviewed by a panel of NFL Football Operations staff, East-West Shrine Bowl leadership and members of the NFL’s General Managers Advisory Committee to serve as coaches for this year’s event.
The 96th annual East-West Shrine Bowl had been scheduled for January 23, 2021, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was cancelled due to challenges presented by COVID-19.
The student-athletes chosen as players will still participate in various virtual training/informational drills with current NFL coaches and members of the NFL Operations staff. Some 2021 all-stars will also participate in various virtual experiences with Shriners Hospitals for Children patients in recognition of the game’s nearly century-long commitment to supporting the health care system’s life-changing mission.
Two of the coaches chosen have previously played in the East-West Shrine Bowl: Jerrod Johnson in 2011, and Troy Walters in 2000.
2021 East-West Shrine Bowl Coaches
| Club | Name |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Ben Martin |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Brad Kragthorpe |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Jordan Kovacs |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Troy Walters |
| Denver Broncos | Jett Modkins |
| Denver Broncos | Justin Rascati |
| Indianapolis Colts | David Overstreet |
| Indianapolis Colts | Frank Ross |
| Indianapolis Colts | Jerrod Johnson |
| Indianapolis Colts | Parks Frazier |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Austin King |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Byron Storer |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Nick Holz |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Tim Berbenich |
| Miami Dolphins | Anthony Campanile |
| Miami Dolphins | Brendan Farrell |
| Miami Dolphins | Gerald Alexander |
| Minnesota Vikings | AC Patterson |
| Minnesota Vikings | Christian Jones |
| Minnesota Vikings | Nick Rallis |
| New England Patriots | DeMarcus Covington |
| New England Patriots | Troy Brown |
| New York Giants | Anthony Blevins |
| New York Giants | Bobby Blick |
| New York Giants | Jody Wright |
| New York Giants | Mike Treier |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Mathew Harper |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Nathan Ollie |
| San Francisco 49ers | Brian Fleury |
In conjunction with the NFL, virtual training sessions will begin next week.
“This is an outstanding lineup of coaches to work with our East-West Shrine Bowl selections during this trying year,” said Bob Roller, executive director of the East-West Shrine Bowl. “The virtual presentations and forums that we are providing, in partnership with NFL Operations, will be critical for these young men’s professional development as they prepare for the next phase of their football careers.”
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the nation’s oldest all-star game for college seniors aspiring to play in the NFL. Ninety-eight players from the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl signed with an NFL team in the fall. In addition, there are more than 300 Shrine Bowl alumni playing prominent roles on all 32 NFL teams, and 78 Pro Football Hall of Famers have played in the game.
For the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl player roster, please visit shrinebowl.com/players.
Former Players
Steve Atwater, Tom Brady, Dick Butkus, Larry Csonka, Joe DeLamielleure, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, John Elway, Brett Favre, Jay Fielder, Joey Galloway, Jeff Garcia, Jimmy Garoppolo, Eddie George, Frank Gifford, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jimmy Johnson, Cameron Jordan, Bob Lilly, Willie McGinest, Walter Payton, Ron Rivera, Mark Rypien, Gale Sayers, Shannon Sharpe, Will Shields, Barry Smith, Steve Smith, Roger Staubach, Lawrence Taylor, Pat Tillman, Troy Vincent, Doak Walker, Aeneas Williams, Kellen Winslow
Former Coaches
Mack Brown, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Romeo Crennel, Phil Fulmer, Jerry Glanville, Ara Parseghian, Dan Reeves, Nick Saban, Marty Schottenheimer, Don Shula, Mike Singletary, Steve Spurrier, Gene Stallings, Grant Teaff
