George Trice couldn’t restrain the tears after his latest quest to honor his distant relative.

“Of all of the things I’ve done in my life, that was my biggest moment,” he said. “It was a defining moment in everything I’ve tried to do to keep his legacy alive.”

Trice has done plenty to bring attention to his cousin, Jack Trice, an Iowa State University football player who died from his injuries after a game in 1923. In October, George Trice’s influence produced an honorary degree for his late relative.

For Iowa State, honoring Jack Trice’s legacy has been woven into the fabric of the Ames, Iowa, college for 100 years. 

George Trice wants all of Northeast Ohio to know his cousin’s story.

In 1922, John G. Trice graduated from Cleveland’s East Tech High School and enrolled at Iowa State, following the path of his high school football coach and some East Tech classmates. He became the first Black student to play a varsity sport for the school where agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver was the first Black student 32 years before.

Doing more than his part

The night before his second varsity game, at the University of Minnesota on Oct. 6, 1923, Trice wrote a letter on hotel stationary about playing for the honor of his race and family.

“. . . Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will! My whole body and soul are to be thrown recklessly about on the field tomorrow. Every time the ball is snapped I will be trying to do more than my part,“ said Jack Trice in his letter.  

Late in the game, Trice threw himself in front of a rush of blockers and fell to the ground. He was trampled by the opposing players, helped off the field and eventually taken to a local hospital. 

“He was badly hurt but tried to get up and wanted to stay in,” Johnny Behm, Trice’s high school and Iowa State teammate, told The Cleveland Plain Dealer in a 1979 interview. “We saw he couldn’t stand and helped him off the field.”

After a few hours in the hospital, Trice traveled back to Ames. He died two days later from internal bleeding. 

The school canceled classes for two days for a memorial service. His teammates collected money to help pay for funeral expenses. 

Questions surfaced about Minnesota’s intent to hurt Trice because he was Black. Reports at the time varied. Nevertheless, Iowa State refused to play Minnesota for 66 years; the teams finally met again at Iowa State in 1989. 

Building a legacy 

In the early 1970s, students and faculty voted to recommend the school name the new football stadium after Trice. And, in 1988, students raised money to erect a statue of him outside the stadium. All that momentum led to Jack Trice Stadium in 1997, which remains the only major college stadium named after an African American. 

Jack Trice’s family honored him as well, passing his story down from generation to generation. His cousin George followed in his footsteps.  A 2005 graduate of Iowa State, he helps maintain his ancestor’s legacy with college scholarships distributed through the Trice Legacy Foundation. Last year was the first year of the scholarships, which went to three students: one who attended East Tech, another from John Hay High School, and a third to a student from Atlanta. 

Any student of color is eligible for the scholarship, and at least one each year will be made available to an East Tech student.

Last year’s scholarships were $10,000 per student. Students can also apply for a technology grant. If accepted, students can receive a free laptop and get aid for home internet service. Applications for the scholarships and grants are accepted from January through March. Selections are announced in May. 

“I’m trying to pay it forward,” George Trice said. “Jack said in his letter about doing more than our part. And we’re trying to do our part to help keep his name alive, and to help kids reach the next level so they can feel they’re worth something. And, like Jack planned before he died, to reach back and help others.”