Jack Trice - First Black Football Player At Iowa State - Legally Assaulted During Game Play - Died From His Injuries

When searching for a Black football player for my newly christened "Malcolm X Football Game" poster I happened upon a picture of a Black male who played during a time when they wore no head protection and/or a flimsy leather head pad.

Days later I clicked through the Google Images search that had remained on my laptop to figure out who this person named "Jack Trice" was.

Jack Trice was the first Black football player from Iowa State College.
There were several teams that refused to play against any team with a Black player.

In Jack Trice's attempt to go against this tide he exposed himself to legalized brutality.  He broke his collar bone in the game against University of Minnesota.   Despite what seems logical to those of us who are watching this after the fact - Trice chose to play in the game, a game that proved fatal.   He suffered injuries which he later died from.

From the Wikipedia entry on Jack Trice:

On October 6, 1923, Trice and his Iowa State College teammates played against the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was ISU's third game that season; St. Louis refused to play against a black player. On the night of the game, Trice had to stay at a different Minneapolis hotel from his teammates.
During the second play of the game, Trice's collarbone was broken. Trice insisted he was all right and returned to the game. In the third quarter, while attempting to tackle a University of Minnesota ball carrier by throwing a roll block, Trice was trampled by three Minnesota players. Although he claimed to be fine, Trice was removed from the game and sent to a Minneapolis hospital. The doctors declared him fit to travel and he returned by train to Ames with his teammates. On October 8, 1923, Trice died from hemorrhaged lungs and internal bleeding as a result of the injuries sustained during the game.
Trice's funeral was held at the Iowa State College's central campus in Ames on October 16, 1923, with 4,000 students and faculty members in attendance.
As a result of his death, ISU did not renew their contract to play against Minnesota after the 1924 game. They would not play again until 1989.