Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates is a Hall of Fame tight end who spent his entire 16-year career with the Chargers, becoming the franchise leader in receiving touchdowns and one of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history.

Antonio Ethan Gates Jr. (born June 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 16-year career as a tight end for the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2003 to 2018. He was named to the Pro Bowl eight times and was a six-time All-Pro selection. Gates was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

Quick Facts

Born: 18 June 1980
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education: Kent State University

Lore & Background

Gates was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball for the Kent State Golden Flashes. He attended college at Kent State University in his junior and senior years after brief stints at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University. He is the Chargers' career leader in receiving touchdowns. In 2015, he became the second tight end and ninth player overall to record 100 career touchdown receptions. He ranks seventh in career touchdown receptions, with 116, and leads all tight ends in NFL history. He was the first player to be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame without playing college football. Gates is considered one of the best tight ends and undrafted free agents in NFL history.

Reader's Guide

Gates played basketball rather than football in college. He originally enrolled at Michigan State University wanting to play football under then-coach Nick Saban as well as basketball under coach Tom Izzo. Upon enrolling, he learned that Saban wanted him to play only football. Moreover, the coach wanted to move him to defense as a defensive end or linebacker.

Gates then chose to pursue playing basketball by transferring to Eastern Michigan University. He played there part of a season before transferring to the College of the Sequoias, a junior college in California, to focus on academics. Recruited by Stan Heath, Gates transferred to Kent State University in northeastern Ohio. As a member of the Golden Flashes, Gates played two seasons as power forward.

In his junior season he averaged 16.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. His junior season his team won its first regular season Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship in school history after finishing the regular season with a 24–5 overall record with a 17–1 record in the MAC. Gates helped the Golden Flashes win their second consecutive MAC tournament and earn its resulting berth in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, he gave crucial performances that helped Kent State reach the Elite Eight as a 10 seed by upsetting 7 seed Oklahoma State (69–61), 2 seed Alabama (71–58) and 3 seed Pittsburgh (78–73).

He was named second-team All-MAC for the 2002 season. As a senior, Gates received honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press after averaging 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He finished with a record of 54–16 in two years of playing. He also earned first-team All-MAC recognition in 2003. His jersey number, 44, was retired on February 27, 2010, making him just the fourth Golden Flash to receive the honor.