Frederick ‘Duke’ Slater, first Black lineman in the NFL, honored by alma mater
Fred Jeter | 8/26/2021, 6 p.m.
It has been a century since Frederick “Duke” Slater played football for the University of Iowa, but his alma mater hasn’t forgotten him.
The university’s field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City was named Duke Slater Field last month. The new name was approved by the Iowa Board of Regents.
The late Mr. Slater, who grew up in Clinton, Iowa, was a two-way lineman for the Hawkeyes from 1918 to 1921 and later became the first Black lineman in the NFL with the Rock Island Independents in 1922, and later the Milwaukee Badgers and the Chicago Cardi- nals. His NFL career lasted from 1922 to 1931.
Often the only Black man on the field, he became a five-time All Pro.
Following Mr. Slater’s retirement from the game, the NFL imposed a ban on Black players that wasn’t lifted until 1946.
Following his distinguished football career, Mr. Slater became one of the first Black lawyers in the Chicago area and was elected a judge on the Cook County Municipal Court in 1948. In 1960, he became the first Black judge to serve on the Superior Court in Chicago.
He died in 1966 in Chicago at the age of 67.
Mr. Slater is a member of both the College and Pro Football halls of fame. A bronze sculpture of him stands outside Kinnick Stadium.
