Clinton’s connection with the University of Illinois dates back quite awhile. Before Kylie McCulley, before Joe Alexander and even before Gene Vance; there was Jack Price.

Price played football for the Maroons in the late 1930s and was the center for the Illini from 1936-1940 under the legendary coach Bob Zupke.

According to longtime friend Bob Adcock, Price was as good a man ever to come from Clinton.

“Jack was somebody who made Clinton proud, he was one good man,” Adcock said.

Adcock worked with Price on the Illinois Central Railroad for a decade.

“He was as honest as the day was long. I could tell him anything and he would never reveal it. Even if I had committed a serious crime, he wouldn’t tell anybody. He told me a lot of things I’d never reveal and I told him things he’d never reveal.”

Price did not start for the Illini during his time there. But he was part of the legendary Illini team that took down heavily favored USC 19-0 in a road game during the 1936 season.

“They rode the railroad back to town and on the car they rode in, the message ‘19-0’ was written on the front. It was a very good day.”

Price was also a veteran of World War II. He was a part of the allies’ invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The day, often referred to as “D-Day,” is said to be one of the turning points of the war that ended one year later.

Price passed away early in 2008, but should be remembered by Clinton residents for his decency as much as what he accomplished in athletics and in the war.

“Whenever I would write Jack a letter, he would always write back,” Adcock remembers. “He was a very smart man.”

One of Price’s good friends from Clinton was fellow Maroon and Illini alumni Gene Vance.

“Jack was a very good friend of mine and I was sad to see him go last year,” Vance said.

As a war hero, a railroad worker, an offensive lineman for Clinton and the U of I and most importantly as an honest gentleman; Jack Price sure is a Clinton legend.



Clinton Legends is a new column in the Clinton Journal that highlights the careers and lives of some of the best athletes in Clinton history. If you have someone you think fits the bill as a Clinton legend, let me know at sports@theclintonjournal.com or by calling 217-935-3171.