Football: Falcons' Chris Thomas selected to play in East-West Shrine game

  • Published
  • By Dave Toller
  • Sports Information Director
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --  Air Force senior safety Chris Thomas has been selected to play in the 85th annual East-West Shrine Game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 23.

Thomas was an honorable mention all-Mountain West Conference selection. He is the Falcon's active career leader in tackles with 287. This season, he had 45 total tackles and was fifth on the team with 30 solos. He was sixth in the league with three interceptions and was involved in five turnovers as he also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. The Westerville, Ohio, native had a season-high eight tackles vs. TCU and Colorado State.

The East-West Shrine Game is the longest-running college all-star football game in the country and features some of the highest-rated players in the projected NFL draft ranking. In April 2009, 90 percent of players from the 84th East-West Shrine Game, played Jan. 17, 2009, were either drafted or signed as free agents by NFL clubs. A total of 307 East-West Shrine Game alumni were on 2009 NFL opening-day rosters.

While the teams are divided by East and West, the players come together for the beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international pediatric specialty health care system. The 85th East-West Shrine Game will kick off at 3 p.m. EST and be televised live on ESPN2.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a system of 22 hospitals dedicated to providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.