Duke Slater
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| Position: | Tackle | ||
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| Personal information | |||
| 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 | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Clinton (IA) | ||
| College: | Iowa | ||
| Career history | |||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at NFL.com |
Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – 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.
Slater was born in Illinois in 1898, the son of George Slater, a Methodist minister. 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, Slater somehow picked up the name of the family dog, Duke, as a personal nickname. When Slater was 13 years old, the family moved after his father became pastor of the Methodist church in Clinton, Iowa.
Slater's father forbade him to go out for football at Clinton High School because he didn't want Slater injured in the rough sport. Slater did so anyway, but his father discovered it when he saw his wife sewing up the rips in the ragged uniform that had been issued to Slater. Brokenhearted, Slater went on a hunger strike for several days. Finally, his father acquiesced on the condition that Slater must be careful to avoid injury. As a result, Slater was always careful to never complain or let anyone see his injuries.
Every player needed to provide their own shoes and helmet. Since Slater's father could not afford both, Slater decided he needed shoes more. He played every game at Clinton High without a helmet. Meanwhile, Slater's feet were so big, his shoes had to be special ordered from Chicago. Slater played well for Clinton High, leading them to the Iowa State Championship game in 1914. The title game against West Des Moines High School 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.
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