Hy-Vee Honors Barrier-Breaking Athlete Jack Trice With New Cereal

Hy-Vee is launching a limited-edition private label cereal to honor the legacy of an Iowa sports pioneer.

The limited-edition wheat flakes cereal honors Jack Trice, Iowa State University’s first Black athlete. At the university, Trice was a member of the football and track and field teams, and studied animal husbandry and planned to help Black farmers after he graduated.

Trice suffered severe injuries in his second collegiate football game and died at the age of 21 in Ames on Oct. 8, 1923. Iowa State is honoring Trice and his legacy on and off the field with a year-long series of activities. The commemoration will culminate with the Jack Trice Legacy game on Oct. 7, 2023, and a ceremony on the 100th anniversary of his death on Oct. 8, 2023.

"As an Iowa-based company, we are honored to be part of recognizing the legacy of Jack Trice,” said Jeremy Gosch, Hy-Vee’s CEO. "Trice was a trailblazer, and his courage and commitment to the university and his teammates will forever be remembered.”

A portion of  each cereal sale will be donated to the Trice Legacy Foundation, which offers scholarships and technology grants for Black students pursuing college education.

“Jack Trice always wanted to do more than his part to help others,” said George Trice, executive director of the Trice Legacy Foundation. “It’s great to partner with a company like Hy-Vee that also goes above and beyond in the communities it serves.”

Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states.