The Iowa Stater

1997 February

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The Iowa Stater
February, 1997

Support swells for Jack Trice Stadium

SU President Martin Jischke has accepted the recommendation of the Government of the Student Body (GSB) and a university committee to rename Cyclone Stadium for Jack Trice. Trice was an Iowa State football player who died in 1923 from injuries received during a game. The recommendation, to call the football facility Jack Trice Stadium, must be approved by the Iowa Board of Regents.

"It is clear that Jack Trice, for a large majority of students and others associated with Iowa State, exemplifies a number of heroic qualities, including dedication, commitment, enthusiasm and giving one's all to an important cause," Jischke said. "Universities have precious few opportunities to recognize heroic qualities. This is one of those opportunities."

A committee studying the proposal this winter recommended the name change after soliciting opinions through a campus forum, contact with student and employee groups and via the World Wide Web. The committee found strong support for the name change. Nearly 70 percent of 150 alumni, students, faculty and staff responding to a Web request favored the change. Also among those who liked it were 84 percent of 238 ISU student athletes polled last fall.

This is the second attempt to name the stadium after Trice. The initial effort was partly successful when the football facility was named Cyclone Stadium/Jack Trice Field in 1983.

GSB also proposed relocating a statue of Trice from central campus to a site near the stadium. The Trice statue has been sent to Connecticut for repairs and will be installed near the stadium this summer.

The Trice story

Trice, who studied animal husbandry at Iowa State, planned to help southern black farmers after his graduation. Because there were no athletic scholarships in those days, he worked odd jobs to finance his education and support his wife and mother.

On the gridiron, Trice was a stellar performer on the interior line. He played on the freshman team in 1922 and the following year, was considered by many to be all-conference caliber. Trice's career came to an end during the second game of the season in 1923. During intermission in the game against Minnesota, Trice complained of a sore left shoulder, but returned to action in the second half.

During a play midway through the third quarter, Trice saw that he wouldn't be able to reach the ball carrier so instead threw himself in front of the Minnesota interference in a roll block. He was thrown onto his back and trampled. He wanted to continue playing but was unable to do so.

Doctors at a Minneapolis hospital did not deem his condition serious enough to prevent Trice from returning to Ames with the team. Trice rested on a straw mattress in a Pullman coach on the ride back and immediately upon his arrival in Ames, was taken to the university hospital.

There, doctors discovered Trice had broken his collarbone during the first half of the game. His condition worsened and he developed respiratory problems. Trice died Oct. 8, 1923, two days after the game. The following Tuesday, classes were postponed and a funeral service was held on central campus.

-- University Relations and Sports Information staff

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