Jack Trice
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Johnny (Jack) Trice (born, Hiram, Ohio, 1902 - died, Ames, Iowa, October 8, 1923) was an African-American football player from Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), who died due to injuries suffered during a college football game against the University of Minnesota on October 6, 1923. Many suspected the injuries inflicted were racially motivated.
Trice's death paralleled that of an on-field assault against an African-American, Drake University football player, Johnny Bright, that occurred thirty years later.
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[edit] Background
Trice was born in Hiram, Ohio in 1902, the son of a former slave and Buffalo Soldier. As a child, Trice was active in sports and demonstrated outstanding athletic skills. In 1918, Trice’s mother sent him to Cleveland, Ohio to live with an uncle. Trice attended East Technical High School where he played football. In 1922, Trice followed five of his teammates, as well as his former high school coach, Sam Willaman, to Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), in Ames, Iowa.
Trice became the first African-American athlete at Iowa State, participating in track and football (primarily as a tackle). He majored in animal husbandry, with the desire to go to the South after graduation, and use his knowledge to help African-American farmers. In the summer after his freshman year, Trice married Cora Mae Starland. They both found jobs in order to support themselves through school.
On October 5, 1923, the night before his final college football game, Trice wrote the following in a letter on stationery at a racially segregated hotel in Minneapolis/St. Paul (the letter was later found in Trice's suit just before his funeral):
“My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life: The honor of my race, family & self is at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will. My whole body and soul are to be thrown recklessly about the field tomorrow. Every time the ball is snapped, I will be trying to do more than my part. On all defensive plays I must break through the opponents' line and stop the play in their territory. Beware of mass interference. Fight low, with your eyes open and toward the play. Watch out for crossbucks and reverse end runs. Be on your toes every minute if you expect to make good. Jack.”
[edit] The Game, Trice's Death, and Aftermath
On October 6, 1923, Trice and his Iowa State College teammates played against the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the second play of the game, Trice's collarbone was broken. Trice insisted he was all right and returned to the game. In the third quarter, while attempting to tackle a University of Minnesota ball carrier by throwing a roll block, Trice was trampled by three Minnesota players. Although he claimed to be fine, Trice was removed from the game and sent to a Minneapolis hospital. The doctors declared him fit to travel and he returned by train to Ames with his teammates. On October 8, 1923, Trice died from hemorrhaged lungs and internal bleeding as a result of the injuries sustained during the game.
Trice's funeral was held at the Iowa State College's central campus in Ames on October 16, 1923, with four thousand students and faculty members in attendance.
[edit] Trice's Legacy
In 1973, Jack Trice’s legacy was renewed and a promotion began to name Iowa State’s new stadium after him. In 1974, Iowa State University's student body government voted unanimously to endorse this effort. In addition, the Jack Trice Stadium Committee compiled more than 3,000 signatures from supporters. However, an Iowa State University ad hoc committee voted to advise then-Iowa State University President Robert Parks to name the stadium “Cyclone Stadium.” In 1984, the stadium was named Cyclone Stadium and the playing field was named “Jack Trice Field.” The ISU student body government , wanting to do more to honor Trice, raised money to erect a statue of Trice in 1987. Due to the persistence of the student body government, students, alumni, faculty and staff, and other supporters (including public figures such as Paul Newman, Hubert Humphrey, and Nikki Giovanni, the football stadium at Iowa State University was finally named Jack Trice Stadium in 1997.
