The East-West Shrine Bowl has come a long way from its humble beginnings in San Francisco. Prior to 1925, it was a baseball game held several times between the Islam Shriners (presently Asiya Shriners) and the Elks. While the game raised money for each of their respective charities, Shriners team captain E. Jack Spaulding thought there must be a way to generate more exposure for the organizations, and came up with the idea of replacing the baseball game with football. He determined that an all-star football game, featuring the best college players competing against one another, might be more successful, and the concept of the East-West Shrine Bowl was born, with all net proceeds from the game benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. On December 26, 1925, at San Francisco’s Ewing Field, the top college football players from the East and West coasts came together to play the very first college all-star football game in the nation before an audience of 25,000 fans. The game raised $25,000 for Shriners Hospitals for Children in San Francisco and the annual contest continues to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children nearly 95 years later (www.shinegame.com/history1).
Presented here is the actual game ball used in the 1958 East-West Shrine Bowl. The 'Official Intercollegiate Wilson TD' leather football is perfectly notated with the date, stadium and final score in strong black ink on the side of the laces: "34th Game Dec. 17 '58 - Kezar - 26 East, 14 West." The ball holds 72 total signatures (by Beckett's official count) -- some who participated in the game as player or coach and others long retired -- highlighted by three gridiron legends: Bronko Nagurski (PFHOF), Don Miller and Harry Stuhldreher (both CFHOF). Nagurski, of course was the great Chicago Bears fullback and tackle who helped lead George Halas' squad to three NFL titles during his nine-year career (1930-37, '43) interrupted by the war. The other two formed two of Notre Dame's famous "Four Horsemen" backfield in the early '20s -- Stuhldreher at quarterback and Miller at halfback. Nagurski and Stuhldreher (with "Notre Dame" notated above his name) have signed next to each other on a bottom panel perpendicular to the ball grooves; Miller is on the adjacent bottom panel facing the same direction.
Other notable signatures are William Coffman (managing director of East-West Shrine Game for 40 years), Notre Dame's Nick Pietrosante (Offensive MVP of game for East). Chuck Dial (Rice), Larry Hickman (Baylor), Charles Horton (Baylor), Dick Haley (Pitt), Jerry Wilson (Auburn), Tommy Lorino (Auburn), Bob Ptacek (Michigan), Frank Marisch, Jack Brown, Bob Evans, Albert Boles, Ken Gessler, Jack Patrick, Dan Allen, Ed Kuhn, Russ Avery, Tom Kine, Joe Smith, Sid Williams (Wisconsin), Wray Carlton (Duke), Don Clark (Ohio St.), Troy Barbee (Stanford), Bob Newman (Wash St.), Nub Beamer (Oregon St.) and even the game's referee James Cain. Many have included their alma mater or college they currently played for. The ball remains in amazing condition for its 60+ years of age; it even holds air! The signatures are all done in very legible black ink averaging 7/10. A truly one-of-a-kind piece of football history that you will be hard-pressed to top. Includes full LOA from Beckett (A52321).