Grigsby accepts East-West Shrine Game invite

[NOV. 30, 2004]  NORMAL -- Illinois State all-America linebacker Boomer Grigsby will close out his collegiate career by participating in the premier collegiate all-star game, the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 15, 2005, at SBC Park in San Francisco, Calif. The game, which is televised nationally by ESPN, will kick off at 1 p.m. Central time.

The Canton native is looking forward to the opportunity of playing for the East squad as well as playing under Purdue head coach Joe Tiller. Grigsby is just the second Redbird to play in the East-West Shrine Game, joining Chad Pegues, who played in the 1998 contest.

"It's a honor and I'm really looking forward to it," Grigsby said. "I'm looking forward to lining up against the big boys and showing them what Illinois State football is all about. I don't think it's going to be any different than how I've played college ball the last few years. It's definitely going to be an honor to play with a lot of these guys, but at the same time I'm just going to try to play level-headed and be down to earth."

Grigsby missed the final game of the season at Florida Atlantic after undergoing surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee.

"The knee is feeling pretty good and it is coming back right along," Grigsby said. "I'll be 120 percent by January."

Grigsby concluded his college career as the top career tackler at Illinois State and in the Gateway Football Conference with 580 stops. The two-time league defensive player of the year is going for an unprecedented third title, which will be announced Tuesday by the conference office.

[Todd Kober, assistant athletics director, media relations,
Illinois State University]

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