39: Duke Slater-NFL

Duke Slater is not a common name amongst football fans, but it should be. While he played in the NFL prior to what we know it as now, Slater was still one of the greatest to ever play the game, particularly as a lineman. In fact, when the great Red Grange was asked to name the greatest players of all time (up until that point), Grange did not name himself as one of the greats. In fact, he named 13 players, 12 of whom wound up in the Hall of Fame. The only one who didn’t was Duke Slater. Somewhat a victim of circumstance, all of the voters said Slater should be in, but they always voted for other players and ultimately Slater fell by the wayside. Perhaps, one day he will be enshrined. And why not, it would take some teams as many as 3 or 4 players to block Slater. He started 96 of a possible 99 games. He played every second of 90 of those games. Every second! That’s offense, defense and special teams. In a college game against Notre Dame, a photo of Slater, who played for Iowa, was taken that showed him holding off four would-be tacklers with arm, and waving his running back through the hole with the other. Slater was the last African-American to play in the NFL before it’s “unofficial” ban of African-American’s went into effect. Actually, it was already in effect as Slater was winding down his career with the Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals. But no one wanted to ban him, because he was so good. After his playing days were over, Slater coached several teams that were filled with minority players, but ultimately put his college education to work as a Judge in Chicago. On this episode of Sports’ Forgotten Heroes, Neal Rozendaal who authored the book – Duke Slater: Pioneering Black NFL Player and Judge – joins us for a terrific look back at a legendary career that was not nearly as highly rewarded as it should have been.

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