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Antonio Gates, a retired professional footballer from the United States, spent the entirety of his time as a tight end for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers in the National Football League (NFL).
He was selected for the Pro Bowl eight times. He spent 16 years with the Chargers before retiring in 2020.
Gates had 116 touchdown receptions, which is a record for a tight end in NFL history. He also holds the record for the most multi-touchdown games by a tight end with 21 and the fourth-most 100-yard receiving games with 21.
Antonio Gates is tied with Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter for third place with 39 touchdown grabs on third down. It's also the most in league history for a tight end.
Gates had eight seasons with eight or more receiving touchdowns, the most ever for a tight end and tied for fifth all time. The Antonio Gates-Philip Rivers pairing combined for the most touchdowns of any QB-TE combination in league history.
Gates also had the most receptions (955), receiving yards (11,841), and touchdown receptions (116) in franchise history. He also holds the No. 2 position with 220 regular-season games played.
In 2024, Antonio Gates will be eligible to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Antonio Gates' College Career
Antonio Gates enrolled at Michigan State University with the intention of playing basketball for Tom Izzo and football for Nick Saban.
He discovered after enrolling that Saban wanted him to play only football. Gates then made the decision to move to Eastern Michigan University in order to continue his basketball career.
He played there for a portion of a season before transferring to the College of the Sequoias to concentrate on his studies. Later, Gates transferred to Kent State University in northern Ohio after being recruited by Stan Heath.
Antonio Gates (6'4" and 1.93 m) was advised by scouts that he was too much of a "tweener" to reach the NBA, so he scheduled a workout in front of NFL scouts. Even though Gates had never played college football, as many as 19 schools were thought to have contacted him for a tryout.
Gates decided to try out for the San Diego Chargers first and the franchise instantly signed him as an undrafted free agent after spotting his potential.
