Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – August 14, 1966) was an American professional football player and judge.

[3] Playing the tackle position on the line, he was a first-team All-American in 1921[4] and a member of the Hawkeyes 1921 national championship team.

[5] He played ten seasons in the NFL for the Milwaukee Badgers, the Rock Island Independents[a] and the Chicago Cardinals, garnering six all-pro selections.

As a boy, Fred somehow picked up the name of the family dog, Duke, as a personal nickname, and he would carry it with him all his life.

[10] Fearing injury, George Slater initially forbade Duke from trying out for football at Clinton High School, believing it to be a sport played by "roughnecks.

[13][14] Despite playing primarily at tackle, Slater led Clinton in scoring as a senior in 1915, rushing for six touchdowns from the fullback position.

[18] In Slater's senior year in 1921, Iowa claimed a share of the 1921 national championship, posting a perfect 7–0 record and never trailing at any point during the season.

A photo taken during the game by university photographer F. W. Kent showed a helmetless Slater clearing a hole for teammate Gordon Locke by blocking three Notre Dame defenders.

[16] Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne later said, "This fellow Slater just about beat my team single-handed in the only contest we lost.

Usually, he made such holes in my strong line that fullback Locke would go through for long gains, often standing straight up as he advanced with the ball.

"[16] 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.

"[18] Fritz Crisler, later a head football coach and athletic director at Michigan, said, "Duke Slater was the best tackle I ever played against.

Duke Slater was just the third black player to earn All-American honors in two different seasons, following William Henry Lewis and Bobby Marshall.

But the earlier loss to Kansas City proved costly when Rock Island finished the year with two defeats, one more than the NFL champion Cleveland Bulldogs.

[5] In 1926, the Rock Island Independents left the NFL to play in the rival American Football League (AFL).

On November 28, 1929, Nevers set an NFL record by scoring all 40 points in the Cardinals' 40–6 win over their intra-city rivals, the Chicago Bears.

[24] The Chicago Herald-Examiner reported, "Duke Slater, the veteran colored tackle, seemed the dominant figure in that forward wall which had the Bear front wobbly.

"[27] Bears head coach and owner George Halas later said, "I can't say too much about Duke Slater as a football player and as a gentleman.

After one year as a high school coach and athletic director in Oklahoma City, Slater returned to Chicago in 1933 as an attorney.

He recruited dozens of prominent African-American athletes to Iowa City, including Ozzie Simmons, Jim Walker, Emlen Tunnell, Earl Banks, Harold Bradley Jr., Nolden Gentry, Carl Cain, wrestler Simon Roberts, and many others.

[14][32] Duke Slater died in 1966 at age 67 of stomach cancer, and was buried in Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens South near Chicago.

[35] In 1946, Slater was one of 11 players selected to an all-time college football All-American team by a nationwide poll of 600 sportswriters and coaches.

In 2013, the University of Iowa placed Duke Slater's name and jersey number (#15) on the Kinnick Stadium Wall of Honor.

Slater was also one of four players the PFRA officially endorsed for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with LaVern Dilweg, Mac Speedie, and Al Wistert.

[43] In 1972, the Hall created a Seniors Committee, which would provide the exclusive nominations for players who retired over 25 years ago.