AMES, Iowa — Editor's Note: The above video is from September 2022.
Iowa State University plans to celebrate one of its most notable alumni over the course of the next year.
Iowa State announced Thursday that the campus will commemorate Jack Trice, the university's first Black athlete, throughout the year with a series of major programs and events.
“This year-long centennial commemoration is an important way to uplift and share the full breadth of Jack’s story with a broad audience across Iowa and the nation," said Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen. "It’s also an opportunity to recognize our students and student-athletes who exemplify Jack’s ‘I Will’ spirit every day in the classroom, in competition and all across our campus.”
Trice was an animal husbandry student and a member of Iowa State's football and track and field teams. He hoped to use his education to help Black farmers in the south, according to Iowa State.
However, after suffering major injuries during his second collegiate football game, Trice died on Oct. 8, 1923. He was 21-years-old.
Trice already serves as the namesake for Jack Trice Stadium, the only stadium at a major U.S. college football school to be named after a Black man.
“This celebration will honor Iowa State University’s first Black athlete, but it will also shine a light on what Jack Trice accomplished when he wasn’t in uniform,” said Toyia Younger, chair of the commemoration committee. “When most people think of Jack, they think of his contribution to ISU athletics. We are excited for people to understand the depth and breadth of the sacrifices and challenges he made to pave the way for others.”
New programs and commemorations for the centennial year include an art installation in the Albaugh Family Plaza, a lecture series, a University Museums exhibition and throwback football uniforms for a 2023 Cyclone home game.
In addition, the section of South Fourth St. directly north of Jack Trice Stadium, between Beach Ave. and University Blvd., will be renamed Jack Trice Way as a testament to Trice's continued legacy.
“It is our responsibility, in partnership with the campus community, to keep Jack’s courageous story alive for future generations of Cyclones,” said Jamie Pollard, Iowa State’s director of athletics. “The centennial anniversary of this tragedy affords all of us the opportunity to encourage meaningful dialogue about personal character and commitment to always doing one’s best, by sharing Jack’s story well beyond the Iowa State community.”