ABOUT THE SBOC
More than just a game. The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is one of the oldest bowl games in America.
With support from the game, all expenses are covered for the patients at the Shriner’s Hospital, a world-renowned health care facility concentrating on treating children so they may enjoy the life we all take for granted.
Shriners Children's Greenville
Located on Greenville Memorial Medical Campus, our experienced team brings hope and healing. We're driven to make lives richer, easier and less complex for children and families in South Carolina and beyond.
At Shriners Children’s, we are committed to reaching as many children as possible, wherever they may live, and offering them our unique, patient-centered, wrap-around care.
For most of its history, our health care system has been known as Shriners Hospitals for Children. As we adapt to current national trends in health care, especially the emphasis on outpatient care, and some locations become clinics or outpatient centers, we have introduced the phrase “Shriners Children’s.” It is shorter and more definitive – clearly stating who we are and what we care about. We are Shriners, and our commitment is to Children. In today’s fast-paced world, this short phrase helps to succinctly and clearly define us.
Since opening our first hospital in 1922, we have been devoted to providing high-quality specialty medical care to the children and families who come to us, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. A century later, our commitment hasn’t changed — only expanded.
Our three-part mission has one goal: to change and improve lives. We do this by caring for our patients, researching to gain knowledge and develop new treatments, and providing educational opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Story Behind The Logo
Shrine Bowl fans are familiar with the event’s logo. The image of a football player walking with a young girl appears on game posters, billboards, T-shirts, and on the event’s website. It’s an iconic image that tells the story of the special bond between college football and Shriners Children’s.
In 1974, a 2-year-old patient named Nicole received care at Shriners Hospitals for Children® – San Francisco (later Shriners Children’s Northern California). She was born with Holt-Oram syndrome, a genetic condition that affects bones in the arms and hands. For Nicole, this meant that her thumbs had not fully developed. To provide more functionality, surgeons removed her thumbs and repositioned her index fingers in their place. This procedure would allow Nicole to comb her hair, button a shirt, hold a cup and be independent.
On the same day, she was recovering from her first surgery, football players from the 1974 East-West Shrine Game visited the hospital. A tradition during the week of events leading up to the big football game, the visit allows players to interact with patients and learn more about Shriners Children’s.
One of the players, Mike Esposito, noticed Nicole because she appeared scared and was crying. Esposito took her hand to calm her down, and they walked down the hallway together. A photographer from a local newspaper noticed the scene and snapped a photo of the two new friends. The image perfectly depicts our mission and inspired the official logo of the Shrine Bowl.
The newspaper image of Nicole and Mike Espoisito taken by Ken Yimm, Peninsula Times-Tribune,
at the East-West Shrine Game players visit to Shriners Children’s. in 1974.
OUR HISTORY