Duke Slater of Clinton-You don't know how Great his career was!

From the DesMoines Register in 1951 when Duke Slater was one of the 1st 5 inducted in its Hall of Fame:
Duke Slater, In the solemn surroundings of a Chicago courtroom, Judge Fred Slater sits in judgment on way­ward citizens.
Once, in a legal way, he was something of an uncontrollable force. That would be when he was
smashing up rival lines and smashing down rival ball carriers for the University of Iowa.
Duke Slater! He holds a place all his own in Iowa football. No Hawkeye in history has been held in
higher esteem.
Duke, a strapping Negro boy, came from Clinton in the war year of 1918. That was in the days of the
student army training corps. Coach Howard Jones saw the potentialities of The Duke and began the
process of bringing them to the surface.
Learns Quickly.
Duke caught on quickly. He was exceptional all the way and, teamed with J.B. Synhorst, made Iowa
powerful at the tackles. Slater made the all­state college team his freshman year and from there on
ranged toward tackle greatness in every game he played.
Big Duke had tremendous hands. And feet. Every inch of him was man and muscle. Benign in
appearance, kindly, courteous, good natured, his mild manner didn't seem to match up to his massive
bulk.
Any mildness in his makeup left him when he crossed the side stripe of a football field, however. He
was plain poison out there and it mattered not whether he was tearing up an enemy line on offense or
closing in on a ball carrier on defense.
A Big Fellow.
Duke was several sizes larger than average. He had to be to do the things he did. One deed was
preserved for posterity when Fred Kent, an Iowa City photographer, snapped old Duke piling up one
whole side of the Notre Dame line.
Duke Slater poses for the camera.
That was the day in 1921, in Slater's senior year, when Iowa snapped the Notre Dame string at 20
straight and became a national leader.
Duke Slater helped Iowa reach the loftiest peak it ever achieved. Through four seasons his play was
consistently great.
Praised by Jones.
Long after he had finished his career, and waded through most of a decade in pro football, somebody
asked Howard Jones one time if he ever had seen a greater tackle than Slater.
"No," said Jones. "I don't believe I ever did."
They still rank Duke with the top tackles the game has known, but you won't find him on Walter Camp's all­America teams. A second­team spot was the most Camp ever gave Duke, but Walter Eckersall saw Slater's worth and in 1921 picked both Duke and Aubrey Devine on his first team.
Football Pillars.
So there they are ­­ the football pillars of The Des Moines Register's Iowa Hall of Fame. Jay Berwanger
of Dubuque, Aubrey Devine of Des Moines, Nile Kinnick of Adel, Elmer Layden of Davenport, Duke
Slater of Clinton.
There were other greats, some of whom will be added to the Iowa Hall of Fame in later seasons