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Searching for a Piece of Jack Trice

"The honor of my race, family & self is at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will."

Those were the words of Iowa State University football player, Jack Trice, written down just before his first game of college football, in 1923. Trice was the first African American player to join the team, and he died after injuries he suffered during his first game.

Credit Joshua and Lori Kagavi
Ira Young can be seen wearing this jersey under a cardigan in this team photo towards the end of the 1923 season.

Joshua and Lori Kagavi dedicated themselves to uncovering a piece of Jack Trice, his jersey, in order to better remember what he meant to the university. After a long tedious process, they found the closest thing to Trice's own jersey - the jersey of his teammate who helped carry Trice off the field.

"In two years of extensive research, it has been the best thing we have found to date," says Josh and Lori Kagavi. "We are so thrilled and happy to share this with the Iowa State community."

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River