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Iowa announces naming of field at Kinnick Stadium after All-American, Hall of Famer Duke Slater

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Iowa has announced that it will be naming the field at Kinnick Stadium after a Hawkeye legend, All-American and Hall of Famer.

Wednesday afternoon, Iowa’s athletic department revealed the naming of Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. It was approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, per a release.

Slater was the first Black student-athlete in school history to be named an All-American. He was a tackle for the Iowa football team from 1918-21. He was also a three-time All-B1G selection and participated in track and field.

โ€œWe are proud and honored to name the Kinnick Stadium playing field as Duke Slater Field,โ€ said athletic director Gary Barta. โ€œMuch has been written about Dukeโ€™s incredible history and the boundaries he broke. With the addition of the relief statue as part of the north endzone project and his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this was a proper capstone to honor a remarkable Hawkeye. As the description on the relief statue states โ€˜His life in football and beyond was defined by triumph and relentless breaking of boundaries.โ€™โ€

Slater was the first Black player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 1951 class. He is also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his career at Iowa concluded, Slater went on to have a 10-year career in the NFL, playing on both sides of the football.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB