East-West Shrine Bowl

FRISCO, Texas – Slippery Rock University offensive tackle Joe Cooper became the only NCAA Division II player to accept an invitation to play in the 101st East-West Shrine Bowl, a premier college football showcase game that will take place at the Dallas Cowboys training facility the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas Jan. 27.
 
Cooper, an SRU graduate from East Berlin, Ohio, becomes just the third player in Slippery Rock program history to earn an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, joining running back Chuck Sanders (1986) and defensive end Marcus Martin (2018), who caught a TD pass in the 2018 game while playing on both sides of the ball.
 
The 6-foot-7 left tackle will play on the West Team at the Shrine Bowl, which will be led by head coach Lunda Wells from the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. Wells will be joined by a selection of other NFL assistant coaches in leading the West Team through five days of practice before the game next Tuesday.
 
The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is set for Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on the NFL Network.
 
"This is such an exciting opportunity for Joe and we couldn't be prouder of him for earning this chance," said SRU head coach Shawn Lutz. "College football is crazy right now with the transfer portal. Joe is a guy who had Division I coaches calling him last year and he chose to stay with our program and finish his career where he started. That kind of commitment to our program is something special and proves that there is a really high level of football being played in Division II. If you're an All-American at this level, you can attract this kind of attention and earn these kind of opportunities."
 
As of Jan. 22, Cooper is the only Division II football player on either roster for the Shrine Bowl. He will be joined by dozens of players from major FBS and FCS programs, including eight players from the recent College Football Playoff National Championship game as Indiana and Miami both have four players set to participate.
 
Cooper is one of 11 total offensive tackles listed on the Shrine Bowl rosters with the other 10 tackles all coming from FBS power conference schools. Those schools include UCLA, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida State.
 
"If you just look at the names of the players and the schools they represent, it gives you a good idea of the kind of caliber of athlete that will be playing down there," said Lutz. "For Joe to be able to put himself in the mix with these guys tells you just how good he was for us."
 
Cooper became the first SRU offensive lineman to earn consensus All-America honors since 2015 after a dominant senior season leading The Rock offensive line. He was named to first team All-America honors by the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association while also being named to the D2football.com, Walter Camp, D2 Conference Commissioner's Association and Don Hansen All-America teams. He was also one of the eight national finalists for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year trophy and picked up first team All-Region and All-Conference honors as well.
 
Cooper started every game this season at left tackle and protected the left side on an offensive line unit that allowed just 10 total sacks all year with a freshman quarterback. SRU ranked No. 1 in the PSAC West and No. 16 among all teams in Division II in the fewest sacks allowed in 2025.
 
The Rock ran for 217.8 yards per game and put up 418.1 total yards of offense and 32.7 points per game. Cooper and the SRU offensive line blocked for All-American running back JayJay Jordan, who ran for 1,375 yards and put up 1,858 all-purpose yards this year on his way to being named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Cooper appeared in 43 games over his SRU career and started the last 38 straight games, missing zero starts in 2023, 2024 or 2025. He helped The Rock to the NCAA Playoffs in three seasons with two trips to the quarterfinals and one appearance in the national semifinals.
 
One of the highlights of Cooper's career came on Senior Day this fall, when he scored a one-yard rushing TD in a win over Clarion on the only carry of his career.
 
Cooper reported to Frisco Wednesday night and will participate in team meetings, media interviews, scout interviews and practices Thursday through Monday before playing in the game Tuesday night. The SRU athletic communication office will share any available photo or video content from the event on the Rock Athletics social media channels throughout the week. 
 
ABOUT THE EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation. An important part of America's football tradition, the event gives top college players a chance to showcase their talents to NFL scouts and a national television audience.
 
For more than 100 years, some of football's greatest athletes and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl. Legends like Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, John Elway and Gale Sayers played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, as did today's rising stars like Brock Purdy, Zay Flowers and Isiah Pacheco. Hall of fame coaches Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, Paul "Bear" Bryant and Jerry Glanville have also participated.
 
Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Bowl has benefited Shriners Children's and its mission to provide excellent specialty care for children. This unique health care system provides excellent care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families' ability to pay for services. This special game helps raise the profile of Shriners Children, so that we can continue to offer hope and healing and reach more kids in more places. Through the experience, everyone connected with the East-West Shrine Bowl gains a deeper understanding of the amazing patients who receive care at Shriners Children's and the ways that they can support the health care system.
 



To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).