Former Cyclone football star Ed Bock has much more to remember about Iowa State than just his days on the gridiron.

“There’s a lot of good memories,” Bock said.

At ISU, Bock became an All-American football player, served as president Sigma Chi fraternity, was an offensive line coach and earned a master’s degree in engineering.

But, he said those achievements pale in comparison to his best memory—meeting his wife of 56 years, Ruth. Ruth was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Bock is the only ISU player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and became a charter member of the ISU Athletic Hall of Fame last Friday night.

“I’m delighted to be here,” he told the crowd. “It’s nice to get back to Iowa State and see all of the changes that have taken place,” Bock said.

Bock thinks the Hall of Fame will bring many benefits to the ISU athletic program. “It means a lot for Iowa State itself,” he said. “It will be a great attraction for athletes to consider Iowa State.”

Bock was the Cyclones’ first consensus All-American, earned Big Six recognition three times and played in the East-West Shrine game, the Chicago Tribune College All-Star game and the Dallas Dream game.

Bock started at guard in all 26 games of his career between 1936-38, and served as captain of the team in his last season.

The 1938 team finished 7-1-1 and earned the first national ranking in the school’s history. Bock recalled the team’s greatest victory, an 8-7 win on the road against powerhouse Nebraska.

When the team returned to Ames, “the students had gone wild,” Bock said. Lincoln Way was lined with students and bonfires and the president called off school for the next day.

Bock said football has changed tremendously since his playing days. He said athletes did not receive the numerous benefits and incentives.

“We played football because we wanted to, and we liked it,” he said.

Bock turned down an offer to play for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, and instead took a $150 per month job with Mansanto, Inc., half the money the Bears had offered him. He said that playing in the NFL was not regarded as highly then. “It was a different era,” he said.

Bock still has the letter offering him to play in the NFL. It was signed, “George S. Halas, President of the Chicago Bears.”

Bock said if he had it to do all over again, he would do it the same way.

And why not? The success story of Bock continued—he became president of Mansanto, Inc.