At the Curtis Hotel in Minneapolis on October 5, 1923, Jack Trice wrote of the first real college game of his life, declaring that the honor of his race, family, and self was at stake and that he would throw his whole body and soul recklessly about on the field, striving on every snap to do more than his part and urging fierce, alert defensive play. On October 6, 1923, he played his only major college football game and was fatally injured. Iowa State's first black athlete, he became the only student to die competing for the school. His strong character and values were attested by his brief record as an athlete and student, by the praise of all who knew him, and by the letter he wrote on the night before his tragic game.