Fred Leon Slaughter (March 13, 1942 – October 6, 2016)[1] was an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins.
Growing up in Kansas, Slaughter was a dual-sport athlete in basketball and track before leaving home to attend University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He continued in both sports in college, and he helped UCLA basketball coach John Wooden win the first of his 10 national championships in 12 seasons.
[2] He attended Topeka High School, where he was the leading scorer on their basketball team, as well as the top player in Kansas.
[6] Slaughter chose to attend UCLA, part of a trend their basketball team developed to build a strong nucleus of native California athletes along with a few African Americans from out of state.
At 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), he was considered small for a center, and his scoring opportunities decreased as his career progressed; his role was reduced to setting screens and other less glamorous duties.
[8] This included their championship game against the Duke Blue Devils, who had two 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) starters (Hack Tison and Jay Buckley), but the Bruins outrebounded them 51–44 and forced 29 turnovers in a 98–83 victory.
[6][8] It was Wooden's first championship,[9] and the beginning of a UCLA dynasty that would win nine of the next 11 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles.
[9] Urged by friends such as former Bruins teammates Goodrich and Walt Hazzard, he also earned a law degree at Columbia University.
"[9] His clients included Hall of Fame basketball players Dennis Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, and Clyde Drexler.