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Iowa installs Kinnick Stadium honor for first black All-American

Iowa has unveiled a relief at Kinnick Stadium to the program’s first black All-American.

The 6 1/2 foot by 14 foot bronze engraving will honor College Football Hall of Famer Duke Slater, who played for the Hawkeyes from 1918-21. Slater played offensive and defensive lines -- and how 1910s is this? -- at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 1951.

The engraving, based on a photo by F.W. Kent and sculpted by J Brett Gill, will face a public walkway on the outside of Kinnick’s renovated north end zone. It depicts Slater bulldozing the way for a Hawkeye ballcarrier to reach the end zone.

“Slater drives the opposition back in calm determination,” an excerpt from the plaque reads. “His life in football and beyond was defined by triumph and relentless breaking of boundaries.”

Slater helped Iowa go 23-6-1 in his four seasons on the roster, including a 7-0 campaign in 1921. He became the first black All-American in Hawkeye history in 1919 and earned a First Team nod in 1921.

Slater played 10 seasons as a professional, where he played every snap in 90 of his 99 career games. The six-time All-Pro was named to the NFL’s All-1920s team.

Slater died of stomach cancer in 1966 at age 67.