Kansas Shrine Bowl announces head coaches for 50th game

HAYS, Kan. (KCTV) - The Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors released their selections of head coaches for the 2023 game, the 50th Kansas Shrine Bowl game in history.

Blue Valley Northwest head coach Clint Rider will serve as the head coach for the East team, while Hays High School head coach Tony Crough will lead the West team during the game. It’ll be played July 15, 2023, at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Kansas.

Rider, who served as an assistant coach on the West team in 2017 and East team in 2022, is currently in his sixth season as the head coach at Blue Valley Northwest. He led the Huskies to the Kansas Class 6A state championship in 2021, earning him the Kansas City Chiefs Eric Driskell Award, given to the top coach in the state of Kansas.

“I am honored to serve as a Kansas Shrine Bowl head coach,” Rider said in a release from the organization. “It is a first-class event organized by genuinely selfless individuals who care for youth in need and promote the great game of football. This opportunity is a reflection of the efforts of our players, staff and BVNW community, and I am truly grateful.”

The head coaches of the Shrine Bowl are selected via a vote of the previous games staff, including fellow coaches, camp directors, trainers and managers.