| Date of birth: | December 9, 1898 |
| Place of birth: | Normal, Illinois, United States |
| Date of death: | August 14, 1966 (aged 67) |
| Place of death: | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Tackle |
| College: | Iowa |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1922 1922-1926 1926-1931 |
Milwaukee Badgers Rock Island Independents Chicago Cardinals |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 in Normal, Illinois – August 14, 1966) was an American football player and one of the great black players of his era. Slater played for the University of Iowa in college and played professionally for ten years. He is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
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Fred Slater was born in Illinois in 1898, the son of George Slater, a Methodist minister. Fred Slater had four sisters and a brother, and their mother died when Slater was 11 years old; Fred's father remarried two years later. As a boy, Fred Slater somehow picked up the name of the family dog, Duke, as a personal nickname. When Duke Slater was 13 years old, the family moved after George Slater became pastor of the Methodist church in Clinton, Iowa.
George Slater forbade Duke to go out for football at Clinton High because he didn't want Duke injured in the rough sport. Duke did anyway, but his dad discovered it when he saw his wife sewing up the rips in the ragged uniform that had been issued to Duke. Brokenhearted Duke went on a hunger strike for several days. Finally, his father acquiesced on the condition that Duke must be careful to avoid injury. As a result, Duke was always careful to never complain or let anyone see his injuries.[1] George Slater would eventually become one of Duke's biggest fans.
Every player needed to provide their own shoes and helmet. Since Reverend Slater could not afford both, Duke decided he needed shoes more. He played every game at Clinton High without a helmet. Meanwhile, Duke's feet were so big, his shoes had to be special ordered from Chicago.[1] Duke played well for Clinton High, leading them to the Iowa state championship game in 1914. The title game against West Des Moines High ended in a 13-13 tie. West Des Moines was led by Aubrey Devine, Slater's teammate at Iowa.
When Slater arrived at Iowa in 1918, eligibility rules had been suspended due to World War I. Therefore, Slater was able to play and letter at Iowa as a freshman. He was selected to the all-Iowa team as a freshman by the Des Moines Register. As a sophomore in 1919, Slater was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection and a second team All-American.
Slater was again a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection in 1920. In his senior year in 1921, Slater led Iowa to a perfect 7-0 record and its first Big Ten title in 21 years. Slater helped Iowa defeat Notre Dame, 10-7, to snap a 20 game winning streak for coach Knute Rockne's Irish. One of the greatest photographs in the history of Iowa football is from that game, depicting a helmetless Slater clearing a hole for teammate Gordon Locke by blocking three Notre Dame defenders.
Sportswriter Walter Eckersall said, "Slater is so powerful that one man cannot handle him and opposing elevens have found it necessary to send two men against him every time a play was sent off his side of the line."[2] Fritz Crisler said, "Duke Slater was the best tackle I ever played against. I tried to block him throughout my college career but never once did I impede his progress to the ball carrier."[3] Slater's Iowa teams had a combined record of 23-6-1. Duke Slater was not only named first team All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year in 1921; Slater was also a first team All-American, making him the first black All-American at Iowa.
Duke Slater is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
Duke Slater also earned three varsity letters for the Iowa track team, throwing the shot and discus. After graduating from Iowa, he played ten years of professional football. Slater played two games with the Milwaukee Badgers in 1922 and had a four year career with the Rock Island Independents. Duke played 43 games for Rock Island from 1922-1925.
In 1926, Duke married Etta Searcy, herself a preacher's daughter. Duke then played 54 games with the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) from 1926-1931. In two of his 10 seasons, 1927 and 1929, Slater was the only black player in the NFL. He was a five-time second team All-NFL selection.[4]
Duke Slater retired from football in 1931. He had gone back to Iowa in the off-seasons and earned his law degree in 1928. Slater practiced law while playing his final few years of professional football. After retirement, he moved to Chicago and became an assistant district attorney. In 1948, Duke was elected as a Municipal Court judge in Cook County, Illinois. Duke Slater died at age 67 of stomach cancer; he had no children.
Duke Slater continued to play a prominent role with the Hawkeye football team after retirement. He attended numerous Iowa games, often accompanied by Ozzie Simmons. Slater, the hero of Iowa's 1921 upset of Notre Dame, watched with tears in his eyes from the sidelines as Nile Kinnick crashed across the goal line for Iowa's only score in a 7-6 upset of Notre Dame in 1939.[5] He was also on the field and in the locker room to congratulate Alex Karras and the rest of the Iowa team after they defeated Ohio State to clinch the Big Ten title in 1956.
In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Duke Slater was selected as an offensive tackle. Slater was one of just five football players inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in the Hall's inaugural year in 1951, joining Nile Kinnick, Aubrey Devine, Jay Berwanger, and Elmer Layden.
Duke Slater is one of two Iowa players who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1951 (Nile Kinnick was the other). In the 1960s, before Iowa Stadium had been renamed after Nile Kinnick, some suggested that Iowa should name the stadium after Slater.[6] Instead, the University of Iowa named a residence hall after Duke. Slater Hall in Iowa City bears Duke's name; it is the only residence hall at Iowa named after a former athlete.