By Zoe Rose
No matter which team prevails in the78th annual Montana East-West Shrine football game, it’s a win-win for every participant, Montana community and the thousands of children who have received expert orthopedic medical care at no cost from the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington.
Twenty-two Shriners Children’s Hospital locations provide a variety of care including pediatric orthopedics burn care, spinal cord injuries, cleft lip and palate, craniofacial conditions, scoliosis, and sports medicine.
More than two million dollars have been raised from this event, making the Montana game – which began in Great Falls in 1947 – the number one Shrine football game in the nation. The game returns to Great Falls at Memorial Stadium on June 21, 2025 at 7 pm.
Brad Clark, a Shriner for forty-eight years, is the chairman for this year’s game. A Great Falls native, he has fond memories of the game’s parade early in the ‘70s. “I got to drive this big Mercury in the parade surrounded by the Libby Loggers cheerleaders—I was in seventh heaven,” he says with a chuckle.
The game now rotates between Great Falls, Butte and the Billings area, “…which raises more advertising and sponsorship funds for the hospital,” says Clark. “And it’s wonderful to see how many of the smaller communities throughout Montana come to cheer on their school’s players.”
The players—eighty Montana high school seniors, plus two from Alberta, Canada—are selected from nominations from coaches and schools from across the state. Five days of practices form the players into cohesive all-star teams. Cheerleaders are also chosen from around the state and have multiple daily practices to prepare for the big game. It’s a chance of a lifetime for these graduated seniors to make a difference in children’s lives.
On Friday night, June 20, a banquet will be held at the Mansfield Convention Center “…to honor the players, cheerleaders, coaches and training staff who are helping to raise money to support the incredible work of Shriners Children’s Hospitals,” says Clark. The parade takes place on Saturday at 11 am on Central Avenue.
A telethon held throughout the game, which will be televised statewide on MTN Network, is staffed by local volunteers to take donations over the phone.