Jackie Slater

Jackie Ray Slater was an offensive tackle in the National Football League for almost two decades. Playing the entirety of his career with the Los Angeles turned St. Louis Rams, Slater debuted professionally in 1976. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1954 and became the first member of his family to attend a desegregated school in high school. After accomplishing this milestone, Slater went on to attend Jackson State University. At Jackson State, he became a highly recruited player and ultimately became the starting right tackle for the Rams by 1979. Throughout his professional career, Slater played in 259 games and started in 211 of them. He was a recipient of the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award in 1995, which is given to the player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership on and off the football field. Slater lived up to this award even after retiring in 1995 as he continued to positively shape the lives of others as he went on to become a football coach and raise his own children with his same morals and values that got him to where he is today. Slater is currently the offensive line coach at Azusa Pacific University in California.