Bill Slayton

Bill Slayton grew up in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. As a running back for Garfield High, he made first team all-city in 1940. After an amateur boxing career, he turned to training and had his greatest success working with heavyweight champions Ken Norton and Michael Dokes. He took more pride, however, in helping disadvantaged children, teaching them about boxing (and life) at the Broadway Gym in South Los Angeles, which he operated for two decades. His efforts in boxing resulted in him being voted "manager of the year" in 1977 by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and he received a lifetime achievement award from the Golden State Boxers Association in 2002. He died during the last week of October in 2003 following a lengthy illness. He was 81.