As I read Chad Calek’s column in today’s (Feb. 4) Daily, I thought the same thing I usually think: What a moron! And while most of the time he can be dealt with, today he went too far. To say that Jack Trice is only remembered because he died is foolish.

Even if that were the case, the fact remains that he died, and that cannot be changed. Jack Trice is remembered because he died for one simple reason; he was black. Any person who can’t see that needs to read a history book. In 1923, black people were seen as inferior, almost as intruders in a white country.

Some people may see them the same way today, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. So he made a mistake in an athletic contest; who hasn’t?

I believe that Jack Trice’s story is one this entire country should hear, not just Iowa State.

He knew he would be a target during that game and instead of backing down from it, he faced it because he knew his team needed him.

In an age when loyalty to one’s family, let alone to a team, is at an all-time low, Trice should be a role model to anyone who is a member of a group. Not because he was black, but because he was a man.

I am proud of the fact that I can say that Jack Trice was a student at Iowa State.

Hopefully, while Mr. Calek is walking around with his Icehouse in Phat Township, he’ll realize that Jack Trice is what every person should aspire to be: a family man, and a man whose team came before even his own health.

I can’t think of many other people who deserve to have a stadium named after them. Thank you.

James M. Eide

Sophomore

Exercise Science