HAMILTON, N.Y (1/19/10) — Former Colgate University great James Groh '46 will be inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame during the Player Awards Banquet at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Dr. Groh is one of four inductees in this year's East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame class. He joins an elite group of East-West Shrine Game alumni, including President Gerald Ford, Dick Butkus, Pat Tillman and Jerry Kramer. Additional 2010 inductees include: former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow, former NFL fullback Larry Csonka and 1960 East-West Shrine Game player Jim Walden. Criteria for being considered for the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame is that the inductee must have played in the game at least 25 years ago.

Dr. Groh hailed from Colgate, which will again be represented in this year's East-West Shrine Game by fellow Raider senior wide receiver Pat Simonds (Sidney, N.Y.). Dr. Groh played in the 19th East-West Shrine Game, held in 1946, and was a highly recruited NFL offensive guard. Teams that recruited him included the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. Dr. Groh declined all offers and pursued his passion of medicine, becoming an orthopeadic surgeon in Milwaukee, Wis. 

“It is with great humility that I accept this recognition,” said Dr. Groh. “I am honored to be a part of the philosophies and mission of the Shriners community. It was a lifetime ago that I left the field of green where I got muddy playing with the boys and entered the field of medicine, both great, rewarding experiences.”

Dr. Groh, Kellen Winslow, Larry Csonka and Jim Walden will be inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame during the 2010 Player Awards Banquet, which includes dinner with the top 106 all-star college football players in the nation; Asset Protect East-West Shrine Game head coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Romeo Crennel; NFL Alumni; Shriners Hospitals for Children patients and supporters.

The 85th annual East-West Shrine Game will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m. EST at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.