Black football player killed in his 2nd game Oct 1923, on IAState team---playing vs MN

[bobbieinok]

His name was Jack Trice. He was 21. He was the first black football player for the school.

There is an extensive article about him.at Wikipedia. The article contains part of the letter he wrote the night before the game, about how well he wanted to play.

Was he deliberately roughed up? Why did the hospital send him back to Ames by train where he died of internal injuries rather than keep him for observation?

The IA State football stadium is now named for Jack Trice.

[GulfCoast66]

1. Football as so violent and deadly it almost perished.

The forward pass saved it. Before it there were as many as 20 deaths per year nationwide.

Might he have targeted. We can never know. But I read he put everything he had into hitting his opponents.

If he were the only one killed I would become more suspicious.

As to medical treatment, internal injuries would have hard to diagnose and treat at that time. I don’t know about medical timelines, but I’m not sure opening someone up and looking for internal bleed was even possible in 1923.

I’m glad his memory lives on however.

[bobbieinok]

2. Thanks for your reply. You raise points I hadn't thought of.