The Great Raymond Berry - East/West Shrine Game Hall of Fame

[Lamont_Cranston]

Jan. 18, 2006--During its 80-year history, the East-West Shrine Game has featured some of the most outstanding players in football history. Fifty-seven alumni are members of the NFL Hall of Fame and 230 are in the College Football Hall of Fame.

The East-West Shrine Game announced today the selection of Raymond Berry, Joe Greene, Mike Haynes and Bob Lilly, four NFL Hall of Famers, into the East-West Shrine Hall of Fame.

They will be inducted as part of an awards banquet on Friday, January 20 at the Alamodome and recognized during halftime of the East-West Shrine Game presented by AT&T on Saturday, January 21.

"Making my first visit to the Children's Hospital as part of the game week activities was very meaningful for me as I got to meet the children who were being helped by the game," said Raymond Berry who played in the 1955 East-West Game.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Berry knows something about adversity. He was born with one leg shorter than the other and had to wear special shoes in order to run.

Despite being selected in the 20th round, Berry formed a dynamic tandem with Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas as he set records for receptions, yards and touchdowns during his 13-year career. He led the league in receptions three straight years, played in six Pro Bowls and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1973.

"Mean" Joe Greene's path to stardom ran through North Texas State. As a consensus All-American, he finished his college career playing in the 1968 East-West Shrine Game.

Greene was the Pittsburgh Steelers number one draft pick in 1969 and named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and 1974. He helped lead the Steelers to dominance in the 1970s as part of the "Steel Curtain" and played in four Super Bowls, six AFC title games and 10 Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1987.

Mike Haynes, a player in the 1976 East-West Game, played at Arizona State University before becoming the fifth overall selection in the 1976 NFL Draft.

He was invited to the Pro Bowl his rookie season after leading the AFC with 608 yards on 45 punt returns. He played in another eight Pro Bowls during his career that was split between the Patriots (1976-1982) and the Los Angeles Raiders (1983-1989). He joined the NFL Hall of Fame in 1997.

The final inductee, Bob Lilly, was a consensus All-American at TCU and player in the 1960 East-West Shrine Game before becoming the first ever draft choice for the Dallas Cowboys.

Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1980, he was the Cowboys first Hall of Famer. During his career (1961-1974), Lilly played in 11 Pro Bowls, five title games and two Super Bowls while missing only one game during his 14-year career.

The East-West Shrine Game is America's oldest college all-star game. More than 300 alumni are currently on NFL rosters. Of the 95 players in last year's game, 90 were on opening day NFL rosters.

A list of notable Shrine game alumni includes Walter Payton, Roger Staubach, Mike Ditka, Brett Favre, [deleted] Butkus, Tom Brady, Frank Gifford, John Elway, Gale Sayers, Doak Walker and President Gerald Ford.

The East-West Shrine Game presented by AT&T kicks off from San Antonio's Alamodome on Saturday, January 21 at 3 p.m. and televised nationally on ESPN2.