SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth College tight end Michael Allan has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2007 NFL Combine and has also been invited to play in the 2007 Dell East-West Shrine Game, one of the premier showcase events for senior college football players in the United States. The Shrine Game will be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on January 20th and will be carried live in prime time by ESPN2.

As part of his decision to play in the Shrine Game, Allan has withdrawn from the Hula Bowl, scheduled for January 14th in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"It was really a tough decision to withdraw from the Hula Bowl and go with the Shrine Bowl," said Allan. "But there will be more current NFL coaches and personnel at the Shrine Bowl. After getting some good advice from coaches, scouts and others, I felt it was the best decision."

Allan will play on the West squad in the Shrine Bowl. The head coach of the West this season will be Dan Reeves, who coached both the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl. The only other tight end on the West roster to date is Matt Herian of Nebraska.

The East-West Shrine Game has been played annually since 1925 as a benefit for Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provide expert orthopedic and burn care for children at no cost to the families. One of the highlights each year during Shrine Game practice week is the day the players visit the children in the hospital.

Allan is the only NCAA Division III player currently invited to participate in the Shrine Game.

Allan is also the only NCAA Division III player invited to the NFL Combine, scheduled for February 21-27 in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to the official combine website, Top Executives, Coaching Staffs, Player Personnel Departments and Medical Personnel from all 32 NFL teams will be on hand to evaluate 300 of the nation's top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Allan is not intimidated about competing against the best of the best collegiate players in the country.

"The great thing about the NFL Combine is it focuses on ability and athleticism," said Allan. "It minimizes assumptions and reputations based on where you played, and focuses on how you test, how high you jump, how fast you run."

At 6'-7" and 264 pounds, Allan (Sr., Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake) has developed into a bona fide NFL prospect at tight end. He scored very well in strength and speed tests conducted by scouts over the summer and was seen by scouts from every NFL team this season.

Allan caught 53 passes for 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns in 2006. He led the Northwest Conference in touchdown receptions and yards per catch (20.8), earning First Team All-NWC honors for the third straight year. He closes his career with school records for touchdown receptions (29) and yards per catch (18.7). Allan has been named to the AP Little All-America First Team, the AFCA Division III All-America team for the second year in a row, and the D3football.com All-America First Team.

In 2005 he was named to the AFCA Division III All-America team after catching 36 passes for 693 yards (19.2 yards per catch). He set a new school record with 15 touchdown receptions, breaking the old record set in 1975 by Doug Long, who went on to play three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

"Mike is an example of the kind of high level student-athlete we can attract at Whitworth College," said Pirate head coach John Tully. "It goes to show that if you are talented enough, and work hard, you will have opportunities for post season honors and the chance to play at the next level, no matter where you choose to go to college."

Allan helped lead Whitworth to its first-ever 10+ win season (11-1), first outright Northwest Conference title and first post season victory in school history (27-23 over Occidental on Nov. 18th) this year.