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Open Feb. 17: “Once, Twice, Trice: Students Tackle Naming Jack Trice Stadium”

Author: Greg Bailey and Rebecca Wells

Rectangular cardinal to gold fade with black and white photo of close up of I STATE logo and  JACK TRICE STADIUM letters, trees in foreground. On left overlapping image is large white all caps letters of event title, subtitle below in gold letters.“Once, Twice, Trice: Students Tackle Naming Jack Trice Stadium,” a Special Collections and University Archives exhibition, will be open to the public on Feb. 17 and through 2023, on the First Floor of Parks Library.   

The exhibit will highlight the 24 years of student activism to honor Jack Trice and his ideals by naming the football stadium, built in the early 1970s, in his honor. The exhibition begins in the 1920s, showing the early tributes to Trice by the Iowa State community.  Then, it moves through the decades of student activism, from the initial push in the 1970s that resulted in a deferred decision by the Board of Regents, through the 1980s, when the field was named, and a statue erected in Trice’s honor. The exhibition culminates with the final and successful push in the 1990s to rename the entire facility Jack Trice Stadium.   

Since 1923, Iowa State students have been inspired by Trice’s legacy.  They have sought to learn from his story and uphold the ideals he penned in his last letter, displayed in the classroom, on the gridiron, and during his short life. This exhibit focuses on the students and student organizations of Iowa State who remained dedicated to this cause.      

For additional information, email Special Collections and University Archives or call 515-294-6672.