Tribe Tight End Earns Bid To Post-Season All-Star Game

Drew Atchison Selected to East-West Shrine Game

01/08/08 5:45PM

Williamsburg, Va. - Drew Atchison Selected to Participate in East-West Shrine Game William and Mary senior tight end Drew Atchison (Charlottesville, Va.) has accepted an offer to play in the 83rd East-West Shrine Game, a post-season collegiate all-star game that will be played on January 19, 2008 in Houston, Texas.

Atchison will be a member of the East Team, which will be led by former NFL head coach Dick Vermeil. Atchison is one of three tight ends on the East roster, which also features players from Va. Tech, LSU, Penn State and Michigan, among others. Another NFL coaching veteran, Mike White, will coach the West squad.

The game will be televised on nationally on ESPN2 from the University of Houston’s John O’Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST.

Atchison ended year third on the squad in receptions (34) and his 475 receiving yards was the team’s second-highest total, while his six TD receptions was the tops on the squad. His six TD receptions tied him for the top figure among Colonial Athletics Association tight ends, while his average of 13.97 yds/catch was also the top figure among league TEs. He ended the year having earned honorable mention All-American honors from the Sports Network and was named to second-team All-Virginia honors by VaSID.

The last Tribe player to participate in a Shrine sponsored post-season game was former standout quarterback, Chris Hakel, who played in the North-South Shrine Game after the 1991 season.

Every year since 1925, the East-West Shrine Game has been played to help raise money and awareness for Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, an international system of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals that provide care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate – all at no charge. To date, the game has helped raise
more than $15 million for this cause.

The 82nd East-West Shrine Game in 2007 included 37 players who were selected in the NFL Draft this past April, while an additional 51 players were later signed as free agents.