Colin Slater
{{Short description|English sports commentator (1934–2022)}}
{{about||the American basketball player|Colin Slater (basketball)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
Colin Stuart Slater MBE (28 February 1934 – 10 January 2022) was an English sports commentator for BBC Radio Nottingham.
Early life and career
Slater was born in Bradford, England on 28 February 1934. He started his career as a journalist at local newspapers in Bradford. He later progressed to reporting and commentating on football matches at Notts County in 1959,{{Cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/ncfc/maggies08.html |title=The Colin Slater Page |access-date=26 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813082449/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/ncfc/maggies08.html |archive-date=13 August 2013 |url-status=dead }} initially writing match reports for "The Football News" and "The Football Post" before joining Radio Nottingham in 1968. He covered over 2000 matches featuring Notts County for Radio Nottingham, a milestone reached on 17 November 2007 when Notts played Macclesfield Town.
During the 1970s, Slater also handled media relations for Nottinghamshire County Council, seeing it through the reorganisation of 1973/74 when the county took over some of the powers of Nottingham city Council.
On 24 April 2017, Slater announced that he was to retire from commentary duties for BBC Radio Nottingham although he would remain as the station's Notts County correspondent.{{cite web |title=Colin Slater: BBC Radio Nottingham stalwart stepping down after almost 50 years |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39693771 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=13 January 2023 |date=24 April 2017}}
Honours
Slater was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours "for services to the community in Nottingham",United Kingdom {{London Gazette| issue=56237 |date=16 June 2001|pages=22 |supp=1}} in recognition of his contribution to radio, his work with the Football Association, and his role as the Deputy Chairman of the Nottingham Bench of Magistrates (NBoM). In August 2015, Slater had a Nottingham tram named after him.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nottinghampost.com/New-tram-named-Notts-County-commentator-Colin/story-27602218-detail/story.html |title=New tram named after Notts County commentator Colin Slater | Nottingham Post |access-date=29 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025051706/http://www.nottinghampost.com/New-tram-named-Notts-County-commentator-Colin/story-27602218-detail/story.html |archive-date=25 October 2015 |url-status=dead }} On 15 November 2017, Slater was named as an Honorary Vice-President of Notts County Football Club, in recognition of his many years of dedication to the club.{{Cite web | url=http://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/colin-slater-proud-named-notts-778834 |title = Notts County chairman Hardy names Colin Slater as honorary vice-president|date = 15 November 2017}} He received honorary degrees from both Nottingham Trent University (2014){{Cite web | url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2014/news/local-radio-legend-to-receive-honorary-degree/| title=Local radio legend to receive honorary degree - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage}} and the University of Nottingham (2018).{{cite web | url=https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2018/august/colin-slater-doctorate/ | title=Honorary doctorate for Colin Slater }}
Personal life and death
Slater represented the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham on the General Synod of the Church of England.
He died on 10 January 2022, at the age of 87.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/tributes-world-football-voice-notts-6471085|title = Tributes from world of football as voice of Notts County Colin Slater MBE dies aged 87|date = 10 January 2022}}
References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140305060925/http://www.nottinghampost.com/Leigh-Curtis-column-Colin-Slater-deserves-place/story-20696023-detail/story.html Inducted into Notts County's Hall of Fame.]
{{Notts County F.C. Hall of Fame}}
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Category:English radio personalities
Category:English association football commentators
Category:Mass media people from Bradford
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Notts County F.C. non-playing staff
Category:People associated with Nottingham Trent University
Category:People associated with the University of Nottingham