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Antonio Gates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Antonio Gates | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 18, 1980 (age 26) |
| Place of birth |  Detroit, Michigan |
| Position(s) | Tight end |
| College | Kent State |
| Pro Bowls | 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Awards | 2004 NFL Alumni Association TE of Year 2005 AP All Pro. |
| Records | Single Season touchdown record (TEs). |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2003–present | San Diego Chargers |
Antonio Gates (born June 18, 1980 in Detroit, Michigan) is a football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. He's listed as 6 feet, 4 inches tall, and 260 pounds. Gates wears the number 85.
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Before his rookie season of 2004 Gates had not played organized football since his senior year at Central High School in Detroit. Gates wanted to go to Michigan State under then-coach Nick Saban and play both football and basketball but Saban wanted him to play only football. Basketball was his favorite sport so and he switched to Eastern Michigan University to play basketball. He played there part of a season, subsequently played at two junior colleges and eventually landed at Kent State University in northeast Ohio. Gates spent two seasons as a Golden Flashes power forward where he led the team to an Elite Eight spot in 2002 and to the MAC championship game his last season there. After being told by scouts that he was too much of a "tweener" (6'4") to make the NBA, Gates arranged a workout in front of NFL scouts. As many as 19 teams were believed to have contacted Gates about a try out. Gates chose to work out first for The San Diego Chargers. Recognizing his enormous potential, The Chargers immediately signed him to a contract.
After finishing a solid 2003 rookie season he caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two scores, he was picked by many experts to have a breakout season in 2004. That year, only his second season in the NFL, Gates became quarterback Drew Brees' favorite target, finishing the season with 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns. On December 19, Gates tied the NFL season record for touchdowns by a tight end (12) in a 21-0 win over the Cleveland Browns, and he went on to break that record in an overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on December 26. Gates was selected to the 2005 Pro Bowl and caught a TD pass from Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning to help the AFC to a 38-27 victory. Additionally, Gates was on the receiving end of a 33 yard pass from teammate Drew Brees in a flea-flicker play selected by fans online.
On August 23, 2005, after holding out for a contract extension, Gates inked a six-year deal worth up to $24 million with the San Diego Chargers. Because of his holdout, Gates was suspended a total of three games, including the home opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Gates went on to have another stellar season, catching 89 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the Chargers missed the playoffs by a slim margin. Many attributed missing the playoffs to the loss to Dallas. Looking back, many assumed that had Gates played, the Chargers would have beaten the Cowboys and thus ended up 10-6 and likely in the playoffs. While this may have been true, the Chargers played poorly in the second half of the season, losing three of the their last four, and therefore Gates' suspension (and the loss to Dallas) was not the only reason they missed the postseason.
With the departure of Drew Brees during the offseason, it was assumed that Gates would suffer a decline in production in 2006 with first-year starter Philip Rivers at the helm. Gates had a relatively quiet start to the season, but he finished the year strongly and ended up with 924 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His slight drop in production from his 2004-2005 numbers was due to the record-shattering season by teammate LaDainian Tomlinson.
- Since 2004, only Indianapolis Colts wide-receiver Marvin Harrison has caught more touchdowns than Gates.
- In 2005 Antonio Gates was selected as the NFL's All Pro TE by the AP. Gates was the AP's only unanimous choice in 2005. [1]
- Gates has made three Pro Bowls in his career.
| Receiving | ||||||
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yards | Y/R | TD |
| 2003 | San Diego | 15 | 24 | 389 | 16.2 | 2 |
| 2004 | San Diego | 15 | 81 | 964 | 11.9 | 13 |
| 2005 | San Diego | 15 | 89 | 1101 | 12.4 | 10 |
| 2006 | San Diego | 16 | 71 | 924 | 13.0 | 9 |
- Official NFL Players' Page: Antonio Gates
- San Diego Chargers Player Bio: Antonio Gates
- Pro-Reference-Football.com Stats: Antonio Gates
| Preceded by Mike Ditka [1961], (12) |
Record for NFL Tight End Receiving Touchdowns in a Single Season [2004], (13) |
Succeeded by Current Record Holder |