Duke was definitely one of Clinton High School's all time bests!!
College career
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.
Honors
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.
References
- ^ a b Greatest Moments In Iowa Hawkeyes Football History, by Mark Dukes & Gus Schrader, Pages 18-19 (ISBN 1-57243-261-6)
- ^ Hawkeye Legends, Lists, & Lore, by Mike Finn & Chad Leistikow, Page 33 (ISBN 1-57167-178-1)
- ^ 75 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, by Bert McCrane & Dick Lamb, Page 73 (ASIN: B0007E01F8)
- ^ Dan Daly, Washington Times, February 4, 2006 This Duke Deserves Induction in Hall
- ^ Kinnick: The Man and the Legend, by Derald W. Stump, Page 62 (ASIN: B0006ETB3W)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please register & feel free to make a comment. Thank you for your visit!