 Slater in 1924 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Colby Edmund Slater | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 30, 1896 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Berkeley, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | January 30, 1965 (aged 68) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Clarksburg, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| University | UC Davis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's rugby union | ||
Representing the  United States
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1920 Antwerp | Team competition |
|
1924 Paris | Team competition |
Colby Edmund "Babe" Slater (April 30, 1896 – January 30, 1965) was an American rugby union player who captained the United States national rugby union team that won the gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the American rugby union team, which won the gold medal in 1920 and 1924.[1]
Colby Slater was born on April 30, 1896, in Berkeley, California,[2] the son and youngest of four children of John Slater and Louise Slater (born Chenery[3]).[4] With his older brother, Norman, Slater attended Berkeley High School and played for the school's rugby team in 1912 and 1913, winning a state championship in 1912.[3][4] In 1914, Slater enrolled at the University Farm School in Davis, California.[4] (The University Farm School was then a branch of the College of Agriculture at the University of California, Berkeley and is considered a precursor to the University of California, Davis, which claims him as an alumnus.[4]) Slater graduated from the University Farm School in May 1917, and enlisted in the United States Army shortly thereafter.[4] He served with the Medical Corps in France during World War I.[4] In 1919, Slater returned to California and began his career as a farmer.[4] In 2011, Slater was inducted twice into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame, as a member of both the 1920 and 1924 national teams. In 2012, Slater was again inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame, but this time as an individual player.
