Iowa State University honors Jack Trice’s legacy with State Fair exhibit

The story of Jack Trice will take center stage at Iowa State University’s exhibit at the 2023 Iowa State Fair.

Titled “Breaking Barriers: The Story of Jack Trice,” the exhibit highlights the life and legacy of Iowa State’s first Black athlete, as part of the university’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Trice’s death due to injuries suffered during a football game against the University of Minnesota. The exhibit will be open to fairgoers in the Varied Industries Building from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the fair, Aug. 10-20.

In addition to the Jack Trice exhibit, Iowa State’s reach will extend across the fairgrounds through a multitude of 4-H events and veterinary care for all fair animals provided by the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Breaking Barriers: The Story of Jack Trice

Fairgoers who visit the Iowa State exhibit can walk through an 11-foot-tall scale model of the “Breaking Barriers” sculpture, a monumental art installation honoring Trice unveiled in the Albaugh Family Plaza just outside Jack Trice Stadium in 2022.

The original 200,000-pound concrete and bronze "Breaking Barriers" sculpture in Ames honors Jack Trice. The sculpture was lowered into place by a crane last October.

Trice was a member of the Cyclone football and track and field teams who studied animal husbandry and was 21 years old when he died Oct. 8, 1923 from injuries he suffered in his second collegiate football game.

The fair exhibit also will feature archival displays of Jack Trice’s “I Will” letter, which Trice wrote the night before his final game, alongside communications from his wife and mother.

Visitors to the exhibit will learn about the history of the naming of the Iowa State football stadium in his honor and get an up-close look at the special throwback uniforms to be worn by the Cyclone football team during the Jack Trice Legacy Game on Oct. 7 against Texas Christian University. The uniforms honor Trice’s legacy by incorporating design elements that call back to the uniforms worn by Trice and his teammates during the 1923 season. Visitors to the exhibit can post photos on social media for a chance to win two free tickets to the Jack Trice Legacy Game, and kids can have their picture taken in a cutout featuring the throwback uniforms.

The exhibit will also include photographs of three art installations depicting Jack Trice on the ISU campus taken by internationally recognized photographer King Au.

“With this year’s fair exhibit, we want to educate people about Jack Trice’s enduring legacy as an athlete, as a student and as a man,” said Carole Custer, director of university marketing. “His story is a cornerstone of Iowa State University’s culture that continues to inspire conversations about race, character and commitment. We invite the hundreds of thousands who will pass through the Varied Industries Building during the Iowa State Fair to experience that important legacy.'

Cy, Iowa State’s iconic mascot, will appear at the university’s exhibit between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Aug. 11-13 and Aug. 18-20. Visitors to the exhibit can pick up Cyclone football posters and schedule cards and receive free waterless temporary tattoos featuring the 5-Bar logo design. The University Book Store will offer a variety of Cyclone merchandise, gifts and apparel for sale in the exhibit. Athletics trophies, including the CyHawk trophies, will be on display for visitors as well.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Jack Trice "Breaking Barriers" planned as Iowa State Fair exhibit