Antonio Gates was born on June 18, 1980 in Detroit Michigan. Since Gates was a little boy, it was obvious that he was going to be a great athlete in one sport or another. At 6-foot-4 and weighing 260 pounds, he has all the physical skills a top-tier NFL tight end could need. When you add this to the mental game aspect of him, it’s no wonder many people consider him the best tight end in the game.
Gates is a little different than the rest of the players you see in the NFL. Before his rookie season in the league, he hadn’t played in an organized football game since high school. Gates decided that he wanted to go to Michigan State University to play basketball and football, but when then-coach Nick Saban told him that he could only play football, he decided to transfer. This later took him to Eastern Michigan University, then two junior colleges until he finally settled at Kent State University in Ohio.
After his college basketball career ended, NBA scouts felt that at 6’4″ he was not big enough to make it in the league. In turn, he began to focus his energy on preparing for the NFL. Nearly 20 teams attended his practice, and the San Diego Chargers were so impressed that they signed him to a contract.
After a slow rookie season in 2004, Gates quickly became an offensive threat. Over the next three seasons combined, he caught 241 passes for 2,989 yards and 32 touchdowns. This was good enough to get him to the Pro Bowl each of these three years, and also to establish himself as a major offensive threat. For a guy who didn’t play college football, Gates is doing well in the NFL.
