Dec. 16, 2005

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue defensive end Rob Ninkovich has accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

The game will be played Jan. 21, 2006, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CST. Previously, the Shrine Game was held in San Francisco.

The East Team will be coached by Houston Nutt of Arkansas.

Ninkovich, a 6-foot-3, 251-pound defensive end from New Lenox, Ill., was named second team All-Big Ten and was selected the Boilermakers' Most Valuable Player this past season. He paced Purdue with 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. His average of 1.55 tackles for loss per game is tied for the top spot in the Big Ten Conference (with Tamba Hali of Penn State), while his 0.73 sacks-per-game average ranks tied for second. Ninkovich, who started the Boilermakers' final five games, recorded 48 total tackles (35 solo, 13 assists) to go with two forced fumbles (tied for ninth in the Big Ten), two interceptions, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

In the Boilermakers' 41-14 Old Oaken Bucket victory over Indiana on Nov. 19, Ninkovich tied the Big Ten record with seven tackles for loss and equaled the Purdue standard with four sacks. He had 11 tackles in all and forced a fumble and was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Ninkovich, who came to Purdue in 2004 from Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, amassed 16.0 sacks for his career to rank tied for seventh on the school list. His total ranks as the most by anyone who played just two seasons.

In last year's Shrine Game - at SBC Park in San Francisco - the East won 45-27. The East was coached by Joe Tiller, Jim Chaney and Brock Spack and featured quarterback Kyle Orton and wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield, all from Purdue.

Ninkovich is the sixth Boilermaker under Tiller to participate in the Shrine Game, following tight end Tim Stratton (2002), linebacker Joe Odom (2003), wide receiver John Standeford (2004), Orton and Stubblefield (2005).

Boilermakers In The East-West Shrine Game

1930	Elmer Sleight, T
1930*	George VanBibber, T
1932	Charles Miller, C
	James Purvis, HB
1933	Roy Horstmann, FB
	Paul Moss, E
	Johnnie Oehler, C
1934	Paul Pardonner, QB
1935 	Duane Purvis, HB
1936	Frank Loebs, E
1937	John Drake, FB
1938	Cecil Isbell, HB
1939	Joe Mihal, T
1940	Lou Brock, HB
1944	Dick Barwegen, G
	Babe Dimancheff, HB
	Bob Plevo, T
1946	Tom Hughes, T
1947	Ed Cody, FB
1949	Phil O'Reilly, T
1949*	Lou Karras, T
	Harry Szulborski, H
1950*	John Beletic, T
	John Kerestes, FB
1951*	Leo Sugar, E
1952*	Norman Montgomery, FB
1955	John  Allen, C
	Tom Bettis, G
	John Kerr, E
1955*	Joe Krupa, T
	Bill Murakowski, FB
	Dick Murley, T
1958*	Tom Franckhauser, E
1960	Rich Brooks, E
	Bob Jarus, FB
1960*	Ron Maltony, G
1961*	Stan Sczurek, G
1962*	Don Brumm, T
	Forest Farmer, E
	Roy Walker, FB
1963*	Ron DiGravio, QB
	Gene Donaldson, FB
	Dave Ellison, E
1965	Jim Garcia, DT
	Harold Wells, DE
1965*	Jerry Shay, DT
1967*	Jim Beirne, SE
1968*	Leroy Keyes, HB
	Chuck Kyle, MG
	Perry Williams, FB
1969*	Bill Yanchar, DT
1971	Stan Brown, HB
1971*	Tom Luken, OT
1972*	Otis Armstrong, HB
	Dave Butz, DT
	Gary Hrivnak, TE-LB
1973*	Carl Capria, DB
	Mark Gefert, LB
1974*	Larry Burton, WR
	Ralph Perretta, G
1976	Ken Novak, DT
	Mike Pruitt, FB
1977	Scott Dierking, RB
	Connie Zelencik, OG
1977*	John Skibinski, FB
1980	Kevin Motts, LB
1985	Don Anderson, DB
1989	Bill Hitchcock, OT
1993	Jeff Zgonina, DT
2002	Tim Stratton, TE
2003	Joe Odom, LB
2004	John Standeford, WR
2005	Kyle Orton, QB
	Taylor Stubblefield, WR
2006	Rob Ninkovich, DE

* denotes game was played in December of that year, not January of the following year.