The iconic statue memorializing Iowa State football player Jack Trice will no longer watch guard over the stadium named in his honor.

Instead, due to the two-year construction of the $90 million Student-Athlete Sports Performance Center, the statue will return to its origin: Central Campus.

Trice, recognized as Iowa State’s first black athlete, died in 1923 from injuries sustained during a game against the University of Minnesota. Trice’s legacy lives on through scholarships, the statue and the stadium.

Originally, the Jack Trice statue was located between Beardshear and Carver halls from 1988 to 1997. 

The decision to permanently move the statue was made by a committee of student and administrative leaders. The hope is that both athletics and the university can build Trice’s recognition on campus with the construction of the sports complex as well as increasing the statue’s general visibility.

“Returning the statue to central campus provides an opportunity to significantly expand awareness of Jack Trice’s story beyond athletics,” said Athletic Director Jamie Pollard in a news release. “We look forward to working with a committee to help identify how we can further enhance Jack Trice’s legacy in and around our facilities.”

The statue is set to be moved to a short-term holding center in the coming weeks until it can be permanently placed on Central Campus this summer.

“Moving the statue back to Central Campus is a wonderful way to lift up the prominence and recognition of Jack Trice’s legacy to the entire Iowa State community,” said President Wendy Wintersteen in a news release.