Sources Say Iowa to Name Field At Kinnick Stadium
KWWL is reporting that two people familiar with a proposal say that the University of Iowa has plans to rename the field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, after Duke Slater. The two sources spoke to the Associated Press on a condition of anonymity because the official plan to honor Slater has yet to be officially announced.
According to the sources, the Iowa Board of Regents is set to consider and approve a "proposed facility naming" at it's meeting next week. No further details about the meeting's agenda has been released.
Duke Slater is one of the most important figures in the history of Iowa football. KWWL reports that Slater played at Iowa from 1918-21. He earned first team All Big Ten during his final three seasons. He was a first team All American in 1921, the first African American at the University of Iowa to achieve that honor. In his four years at Iowa, he helped the Hawkeyes to a record of 23-6-1, including a perfect Big Ten record of 7-0 in 1921. More than one media outlet named that team National Champions.
Slater then went on to play 10 season in the NFL, according to KWWL. He was the first African American lineman in NFL history and was the only African American to play in the NFL between 1927 and 1929. He was named All-Pro six times. During his off seasons, Slater took law classes and Iowa and earned his law degree in 1928. He later served as the Chicago assistant district attorney, and became the first black member of the Chicago Superior Court.
Duke Slater passed away in 1966 at the age of 67. He was a member of the inaugural class of the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1951. He also was an inaugural member of the College Football Hall of Fame that same year. He was named in 1989, to Iowa's all-time football team. He was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020.