As the 2oth century was coming to its twilight, a lesser-known college player at the time committed to Michigan State University in 1999, wanting to be coached under Nick Saban. It was a prospect many wanted to explore at the time, considering Nick Saban at the time was a rising head coach, having already been in the coaching world for some 30-odd years. But for that athlete, while playing for Saban was important, he still wanted to remain dedicated to his favorite sport. And that’s where the ideologies clashed.
Antonio Gates, the former Chargers tight end, at the time decided to ditch that Michigan State offer and instead enrolled at Kent State. Why? Nick Saban, at the time, wanted him to focus solely on football, while Gates’ childhood calling was basketball. So, the prospect never really came to its end. And after enrolling at Kent State, Gates never treaded back on the gridiron in CFB and instead broke records playing basketball, earning All-American status as a junior and averaging 20.6 points in his senior season. However, despite these accolades and the talent, there were no takers for Gates as the NBA draft came after his senior season.
Some teams that did offer Gates the chance wanted him to slim down, while others just couldn’t figure out his best position to play on the court. “I could not lose any weight, dude. I was 255 and couldn’t lose any weight,” said Gates about the whole ordeal. The result? Gates went undrafted despite a stellar college career, but then came the old sport that Gates ditched at the gates of college athletics. The football scouts and coaches took an interest in him, and Gates thrived in whatever situation the coaches threw. Gates described the situation at the time as a “prom night,” as he now seals his status as a legend after getting inducted into the NFL’s Hall of Fame.
“It was kind of like prom, right? You want to go with this person, but another person wants to go with you. I wanted to go with basketball, but [football] is who I wanted to go with me,” said Gates, and described how his frame and athleticism were made for the grueling demands of the Gridiron. “My height [for football] was great. My weight was great. Speed, reaction, everything was great.” So, now, not having played a single CFB game, Gates has broken a 62-year-old record after getting inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
The NFL started its Hall of Fame induction in 1963, and ever since then, no player has made it to the Hall of Fame without playing college football. But Gates? The legend, after giving his all for the Los Angeles Chargers for 15 years till 2018. In that period, Gates made it 8 times into the Pro Bowl and earned 3 times First Team All-Pro selection, along with making it to the NFL’s all-decade team.
Not just that, but Gates playing as a tight end redefined the position, bringing his basketball spatial awareness, boxing out defenders, and body control. In a sense, his contributions go beyond his 116 career touchdown catches and 11,841 receiving yards, the fourth highest ever. And it’s a fitting tribute to one of the greatest tight ends of all time to make it to the NFL Hall of Fame. Now, the legend reflects the journey with pure disbelief.
Antonio Gates calls his journey a work of fiction and fantasy
It would be nothing short of a page taken out of a fantasy story if you imagine a player who never stepped on a CFB field and has made it to the NFL’s Hall of Fame. But Gates’ story is nothing short of a fantasy tale for the ones who have seen him perform on the gridiron. Remember his 2004 season with the Chargers? Not just the guy who tied the record (12) for the highest TDs in a season with one game remaining. But also broke it against the Indianapolis Colts, showing early on why the Chargers bet on him as they drafted him as a free agent. However, for Gates? It feels like a “fiction story.“
“It’s like I’m telling a fiction story. To tell somebody they can come to the NFL and not play college football but then make the team … and then start … and then make the Pro Bowl and be All-Pro your second year … and then be the all-time touchdown leader …It’s not even a story you can make up. The chances? The odds? They’re crazy. It’s about the journey. Never in a million years would I have thought something like this would happen,” said Antonio Gates about his whole journey.
Antonio Gates’ journey is not just an inspiration to all sports lovers. But it is also a testament to how unexpected roads and things can lead us to an unworldly destination. And the destination? It might take you to the Hall of Fame after all. It’s like how Gates said about all of it, “There’s no way you can script it.”
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