He never won a Heisman trophy; he was never named to an All-American or all-conference team – in fact, he only played in two games as an Iowa State Cyclone. Yet to many, Jack Trice is one of the most famous and beloved figures, in sports or otherwise, to attend Iowa State.

The man

Johnny Trice, better known as Jack, was born in Hiram, Ohio, in 1902.

In 1918, Trice went to Cleveland to live with his uncle.

Although he was an outstanding football player in high school, his race kept him from getting recruited by college programs.

Fortunately, his high school coach Sam Willaman accepted a coaching job at Iowa State and asked Trice to come with him.

At Iowa State, he majored in animal husbandry and competed on both the track and football teams, becoming the first black athlete in ISU history.

While at Iowa State, Jack Trice married Cora Mae Starland.

In Trice’s sophomore year – freshmen were not allowed to play varsity football until 1973 – he became the starting defensive tackle.

On Oct. 26, 1923, Trice participated in what he called his “first real college game” against the University of Minnesota.

On the second play of the game, Trice reportedly broke his collarbone but refused to admit that he was hurt and returned to the game.

Then, in the third quarter, Trice was trampled by multiple Minnesota players.

There is some controversy over whether this was an accident or an act of racism.

Although Trice still denied any injury, he was taken to a hospital in Minneapolis, where doctors found no serious injuries and cleared him to travel home with the team.

However, when he returned to Iowa, doctors found hemorrhaged lungs and internal bleeding, along with the broken collarbone sustained earlier in the game.

Jack Trice died two days after the game on Oct. 8, 1923.

The letter

Before Trice’s last game, he wrote himself a letter. According to the ISU Alumni Association Web site, it read:

“My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life: The honor of my race, family and 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.”

The stadium

Trice’s story was largely forgotten for 50 years until a plaque commemorating Trice was found in the State Gym in 1973.

A new football stadium was being constructed at the time and it was suggested that it should be named after Jack Trice.

However, this name was not universally accepted. Some people wanted the more generic Cyclone Stadium.

“There were a lot of people that were concerned, or objected to singling out a single athlete to have the facility named after them,” said Warren Madden, vice president of business and finance.

A compromise was struck between the two groups. The stadium was called Cyclone Stadium but the field itself would be called Jack Trice Field.

However, the students wanted to honor him further. The Government of the Student Body paid to have a bronze statue made. It is currently outside the stadium.

Students continued to push for the stadium to be named after Trice. In 1997, they got their wish. The Board of Regents voted to officially change the name to Jack Trice Stadium.

What made Jack Trice such a compelling figure that students worked for more than 20 years to get the university to honor him?

“I think it was the circumstances surrounding his death,” said Tom Hill, vice president of student affairs. “He was a student who died in the service of the school. It was like honoring one of their own.”

The family

Jack was not the last Trice to attend Iowa State. His cousin, George Trice, attended the university and graduated in 2005.

“The stadium being named after my cousin Jack was my motivation and reason for coming to Iowa from Cleveland,” George said.

Unlike his cousin, George didn’t play any sports at Iowa State, but he still attended most of the home games.

“It was weird going to the games because everyone knew who I was, especially my first couple years.”

Even though his cousin died many years ago, George feels Jack still provides inspiration for black students on campus.

“For African-American students at Iowa State, I think that Jack shows us that nothing goes unwatched. Everything you do is noticed, so make your mark on life,” George said.

The present

In his day, Jack Trice had to fight through many barriers simply because he was black.

Although some of these barriers still exist today, these barriers have been greatly reduced because of the courage and sacrifices made by people such as Trice.

Sunday, for the first time ever, two black coaches led their teams to the Super Bowl. In Trice’s time, a black coach would have been unthinkable.

The naming of a stadium at a major college institution after a black man also demonstrates tremendous progress.

“Their presents and contributions to the institution have been recognized,” Hill said.

A portion of the historical information was compiled from the alumni association Web site www.isualum.org.