BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : EARLY BLACK FOOTBALL PLAYERS :- BREAKING THE RACE BARRIER DOWN :

Forty years before most southern Universities integrated their football programmes, black athletes were allowed to compete and succeed at Iowa State and Iowa Universities. Jack Trice and Duke Slater were forerunners in the race for racial equality. Both overcame discrimination to excel on the football field and later became honored icons to their institutions, Slater the schools first Black All-American Football Player, played for Iowa from 1918 to 1921. In 1968 Iowa named a 499 student coed dormitory after him in 1997, Iowa State renamed its football stadium after Jack Trice and Slater were among first handful of Black Football players competing in the 1020's. Most Southern Schools shut the door ob athletic integration though the 1960's and early 1970's.

In the North big ten schools offered opportunities to black athletes like Slater, Jesse Owens at Ohio State and Ozzie Simmons of Iowa. What Jackie Robinson was to base ball, at a much earlier date Duke Slater was a Collegiate football.  Chicago Sun-Times columnist Dick Hackenberg wrote on December 13th 1960 two days after a dinner celebrating Slaters accomplishments. In1951 Slater because the first Black Player inducted into the inaugural college football hall of fame. He was a three time all big ten tackle for Iowa and could grasp an opponent in a vice like grip with his longer than normal arms according to Iowa athletics records.