NFL Draft-Eligible College Football Players Descend on Pasadena for NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday

The historic Rose Bowl will play host to “the premier postseason all-star game” for draft-eligible college football players on Saturday, Jan 28. 

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl is one of four all-star games, which are part of the 2023 NFL Draft process.

The NFLPA game on Saturday is the result of a week-long experience during which the participants learn about the business of football and what it takes to succeed at the next level, a release by NFLPA said. 

The game, which has traditionally been played at the historic stadium in Pasadena, kicks off at 3 p.m. and will be televised on the NFL Network.

Last Saturday, the NFLPA released the full roster for this 11th edition of its annual Collegiate Bowl, featuring a collection of the top senior prospects in college football who will be putting their skills on display before NFL scouts and a national TV audience.

The roster is split into two groups: the American team, led by former Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, and the National team, led by legendary Titans running back and current Tennessee State University head coach Eddie George.

Jeff Fisher is currently head coach and general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the U.S. Football League (USFL). He is a former cornerback and return specialist who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 22 seasons, primarily with the Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans franchise. He coached the Oilers/Titans from 1994 to 2010 and the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012 to 2016.

After playing college football at University of Southern California, he was drafted in the seventh round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, and played with the Bears for five seasons. He won a Super Bowl ring in 1985 while on injured reserve during his final season as a player.

Fisher then held several coaching positions for various teams before becoming the head coach of the Titans towards the end of the 1994 season during their tenure as the Houston Oilers and was the team’s first coach when they relocated to Tennessee. He continued to coach the Titans until after the end of the 2010 season when the Titans and Fisher mutually agreed to part ways. He was hired as the head coach of the Rams in 2012 and coached the team during their last four years in St. Louis. He remained the head coach of the Rams during the franchise’s return to Los Angeles in 2016, but was fired near the end of the season.

Eddie George played as a running back in the NFL for nine seasons, primarily for the Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans franchise.

He played college football at Ohio State and won the Heisman Trophy in 1995. He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Tennessee Titans (both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers) and Dallas Cowboys. George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Post-football, George earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In 2015, he guest starred on an IFC episode of the satirical talk-show Comedy Bang! Bang!, titled “Eddie George Wears a Navy Suit and Half-Zip Pullover.” In 2016, he appeared on Broadway in the musical “Chicago” as the hustling lawyer Billy Flynn.

More than just a game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl provides players with the opportunity to also learn from the best in the business. The week-long activity not only prepares players for the speed and intensity of professional football, but also for the business and lifestyle changes that come with it.

Annually, with the Collegiate Bowl, the NFLPA looks forward to showcasing some of the best up-and-coming college football talent in the world.

To view the full roster of each team, visit http://collegiate.nflpa.com/2023-game-roster.

For more information, visit http://collegiate.nflpa.com.