If you watch a Shrine Bowl game closely, you will notice that every member of both squads get to play.
That is no accident.  The North and South Carolina coaching staffs traditionally arrange for every player on their squads to play actively in the game.  They don't want any player sitting out the entire Shrine Bowl game on the bench and going home saying he never got to play.
So if a football player is lucky enough to be selected to one of the Shrine Bowl teams, he can pretty well count on playing.
Well, almost.
Steve Gribble from Salisbury arrived at Garinger High in Charlotte to practice with his fellow North Carolina teammates on Monday, December 1,1969.  
Steve was the biggest athlete on the Tar Heel squad at 239 pounds.  The team was having two-on-one blocking drills.  He had never been hurt any time during the seven years he'd been playing football.
Suddenly Gribble was on the ground suffering stretched tendons in his right leg.  Within  a few hours he was hobbling around with a hip-to-ankle cast and crutches.  
"All along this has been my dream, to play in the Shrine Bowl," Gribble said.  "When I finally got the letter, I couldn't believe it.  And now this has to happen.  When they told me it was serious, I almost died."
Gribble was assured that he could stay with his team for the entire week.  He knew he couldn't do much to help his team win.  "But maybe I can help the morale and keep them pepped up," he said. "I'm willing to do anything to help."
Gribble remembered that a South Carolina player broke his leg the year before and was allowed to suit up without pads and walk onto the field for introductions, along with his teammates.  He got to enjoy the same honor.
But the cast didn't come off until a week after the game.