Duke Slater

Common card · No. 482089

Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – August 14, 1966) was an American professional football player and judge. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Centennial Class in 2020. Slater played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1918 to 1921. Playing the tackle position on the line, he was a first-team All-American in 1921 and a member of the Hawkeyes 1921 national championship team. Slater joined the National Football League (NFL) the following year, becoming the first black lineman in league history. He played ten seasons in the NFL for the Milwaukee Badgers, the Rock Island Independents and the Chicago Cardinals, garnering six all-pro selections. Slater earned his law degree in 1928 and began to practice law as a Chicago attorney. In 1948, he was elected to the Cook County Municipal Court, becoming just the second black judge in Chicago history. Slater served as a Chicago judge for nearly two decades...

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