The East-West Shrine Game® Hall of Fame is home to some of the greatest names ever to play the game. Each year, past players are selected to join this elite club. Candidates must have played in the East-West Shrine Game and have accomplished something significant in their career.
Players are honored during half-time of the East-West Shrine Game.
View past Hall of Fame Inductees
2013 INDUCTEES
Former Atlanta Falcon and East-West Shrine Game player Buddy Curry is one of the latest to be honored by induction into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame. Not only is Curry an outstanding football player, he is also a caring individual, with a concern for children.
“Playing in the 55th East-West Shrine Game was a great experience for me,” said the former Atlanta Falcons All Pro linebacker. “To be invited to compete against the top talent coming out of college that year helped me believe I could make it at the next level.”
After a successful career at University of North Carolina, Curry was chosen by the Falcons in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft and was honored as the Defensive Rookie of the year.
Curry played eight seasons for the Falcons, from 1980 to 1987, and was named All Pro in 1980 and 1982.
Reflecting on his experience as a player in the East-West Shrine Game, Curry said, “Having the chance to mix with kids from all over the country gave us the chance to make lasting friendships and support a great cause –Shriners Hospitals for Children. It really touches you when you visit the kids and get a first- hand look at what the Shriners and hospital staff do for them. I was blown away by the extra mile they go for the kids.”
After retiring from football, Curry and his wife, along with former Atlanta Falcons teammate Bobby Butler, started a youth football camp program called “Kids and Pros.” Since 2002, more than 12,000 kids have attended camps in five states. The camps are aimed at ages 7 to 13 and stress five fundamentals – Sportsmanship, Integrity, Teamwork, Perseverance and Excellence.
“We recognize many character values that football engenders as integral to success apply off of the playing field as well as on it,” says Curry. “Thus each day of the camp, we focus on a key principle and how it relates to football as well as life, with one of our NFL players directly addressing the campers.”
We congratulate Buddy Curry on his many accomplishments, including his induction into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame.
Steve Bartkowski, noted as a great quarterback and motivational speaker, is being honored this year with induction into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame. Like many other players in the longest-running all-star college game in the country, although Bartkowski remembers being part of the game and team in 1974, what was most significant to him was the time spent with the kids at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California.
“It was a thrill to be selected to play in the Shrine Game,” he said. “We had a big crowd and it was the first time I’d played on national TV. But, I have to say the highlight of the week was how touched I felt when we visited the kids at the hospital. It made me realize how blessed I was, and how amazing the hospitals really are.”
Bartkowski had a long and successful football career.
He led the nation in passing at the University of California, Berkeley, and was an All American his senior year. This accolade was followed by being the NFL’s number one draft pick and chosen by the Atlanta Falcons.
Bartkowski was named Rookie of the Year by both the NFL and Sporting News NFC in 1975. He played 11 seasons with the Falcons before ending his career with a short stint on the Washington Redskins and then a final season with the Los Angeles Rams in 1986.
He played in the Pro Bowl in 1980 and 81, and was the NFL’s leading passer in 1983. Bartkowski is the Falcon’s all-time passing leader with 23,470 yards and 156 touchdowns, and one of only nine quarterbacks in NFL history to pass for 30 touchdowns in two consecutive seasons (1980 & 81).
Bartkowski now lives outside Atlanta, where he has made a successful transition into business development for DPR Construction, as well as a career in motivational speaking.
He is honored to be part of the East-West Shrine Game’s 88-year history of helping Shriners Hospitals for Children.
“Shriners Hospitals for Children are a tremendous asset that I’m proud to be associated with.”
Congratulations to Steve Bartkowski on his induction into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame.