Jack Trice: The Man and the Fight Behind the Stadium Name

Start Cyclone Football off at Dog-Eared Books!

Join Dog-Eared Books in conversation with author Jonathan Gelber at 6 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 27, to celebrate the publication of his book: The Idealist: Jack Trice and the Fight for a Forgotten Football Legacy.

As the 2022 football season kicks off, we invite Cyclone fans and history buffs alike to sit down for a flight of local beers and cider and some Iowa-made, gourmet popcorn, as we gain a deeper understanding of the stadium’s namesake and the fortitude of an unmatched man who changed Cyclone history forever.

Inspired by George Washington Carver, Iowa State’s first Black student and faculty member, Ohio football standout Jack Trice enrolled at Iowa State in 1922 to study animal husbandry and play football. In October of 1923, in just his second start for the Varsity team, Trice sustained brutal injuries in an away game against the University of Minnesota, injuries that would result in his death two days later. 

Jonathan Gelber, an orthopedic surgeon based in Rochester, MN, and author of several books focused on sports injuries that have changed sport and broader society, offers a moving biography of Trice and the determination with which he set out to make history as Iowa State’s first Black athlete. This intimate look at Trice’s legacy also honors those who fought for nearly a quarter century to properly honor Trice by bestowing the Cyclones’ stadium with his name. Today, Jack Trice stadium remains the only Division I stadium named for a Black athlete.

Pre-order a copy of The Idealist for personalization by Jonathan Gelber for pick-up or shipping Sept. 28.