By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
An announcement has been scheduled for Wednesday morning at Tropicana Field, where officials including St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster are expected to announce that the East-West Shrine Game, a top showcase for NFL Draft hopefuls, will be played at the Trop for the next two years.
The game, which is played in late January and dates back to 1925, has been played the past two years at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, but it has drawn less than 10,000 fans in both games. Moving to Tropicana Field also allows the game to move closer to the Shriners International Headquarters in Tampa, as well as the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa, where players visited in January.
It's the third annual football game to call the Trop home, joining the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl on Dec. 20 and the Under Armour All-America Game, played in early January.