Antonio Gates

From Hoopedia

Antonio Gates is a professional American football player for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. Gates was also a former college basketball player for the Kent State Golden Flashes before he went to the NFL.

College Career

Before his rookie season of 2003 Gates had not played organized football since his senior year at Detroit Central High School. 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 he transferred 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 northeastern Ohio.

Gates spent two seasons as a Golden Flashes power forward, where he led the team to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and an Elite Eight spot in the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's Tournament. The following season he led them to the MAC championship game, during which he averaged 20.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game.

After college NBA scouts told him he struggled to fit an NBA position, so he tried out for the San Diego Chargers in 2003 and was signed 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. Gates remains one of the NFL players to play both basketball and football.