55 Facts About Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates was named to the Pro Bowl eight times and was a five-time All-Pro selection.

Antonio Gates retired on January 14,2020, after 16 years with the Chargers.

Antonio Gates attended college at Kent State his junior and senior years after brief stints at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University.

Antonio Gates is the Chargers' career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Antonio Gates is considered one of the best tight ends and undrafted free agents in NFL history.

Antonio Gates was born in Detroit, where he played high school football at Central High School.

Antonio Gates originally enrolled at Michigan State University wanting to play football under then-coach Nick Saban as well as basketball under coach Tom Izzo.

Antonio Gates then chose to pursue playing basketball by transferring to Eastern Michigan University.

Antonio Gates played there part of a season before transferring to the College of the Sequoias, a junior college in California, to focus on academics.

Antonio Gates helped the Golden Flashes win their second consecutive MAC tournament and earn its resulting berth in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.

Antonio Gates chose to work out first for the San Diego Chargers.

Antonio Gates made his first catch in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, scored his first touchdown in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings, and enjoyed his first 100-yard receiving game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15.

Antonio Gates caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.

Antonio Gates was selected to the 2005 Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors.

Antonio Gates scored a touchdown in the Wild Card Round overtime loss to the New York Jets.

Antonio 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 single win.

Antonio Gates was named to the Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors.

Antonio 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.

Antonio Gates was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for the third straight year.

Antonio Gates dislocated a toe on his right foot just before the postseason, which slowed him down during the Chargers' playoff run.

Antonio Gates was not the only Chargers star player injured: both LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers had leg injuries which hindered the Chargers' chances of reaching the Super Bowl.

Antonio Gates pulled out of his fifth Pro Bowl selection because of his injuries alongside his teammate LaDainian Tomlinson.

Antonio Gates finished the season with 60 receptions for 704 yards and eight touchdowns.

On February 23,2008, Antonio Gates said he would have foot surgery to fix the injury that had slowed him in the final part of the season.

Antonio Gates closed the season out with four conseuctive games with a receiving touchdown.

Finally healthy after consecutive injury-plagued seasons, Antonio Gates enjoyed the most productive year of his career.

Antonio Gates caught 79 passes for a career-high 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns.

Antonio Gates was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl.

Antonio Gates began the 2010 season by signing a five-year, $36 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.

Antonio Gates was ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

Antonio Gates came back after the bye week and started every game the rest of the way.

Antonio Gates finished with more than 60 catches for the seventh time in his career.

Antonio Gates scored seven touchdowns and was voted into his eighth Pro Bowl.

Antonio Gates became the Chargers' all-time receptions leader on a six-yard catch on a fourth-and-5, early in the fourth quarter against Detroit.

Antonio Gates had another record-breaking season, becoming the fifth tight end in NFL history with 600 career catches and runner-up for most touchdowns in Chargers franchise history with 83.

Antonio Gates was ranked 73rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

Antonio Gates had two games on the season going over the 100-yard mark, Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles and Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.

However, Antonio Gates only scored four touchdowns, his fewest since his rookie season in 2003.

Antonio Gates was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Seattle.

Antonio Gates passed Lance Alworth to become the Chargers' career leader in receiving yards in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos.

Antonio Gates finished the season with 12 touchdowns, becoming the fourth player in league history to catch 12 or more touchdowns in a season at age 34.

Antonio Gates's teammates voted him the Chargers' Offensive Player of the Year and he was invited as an alternate for the Pro Bowl, but declined.

Antonio Gates was ranked 52nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

On July 2,2015, it was announced that Antonio Gates would be suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for violating the NFL's rules on performance enhancing drugs.

On October 12,2015, against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first game back after from a four-game suspension, Antonio Gates scored his 100th and 101st career touchdown receptions.

Antonio Gates finished the season with 630 yards and five touchdowns on 56 receptions.

On March 9,2016, Antonio Gates signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the Chargers.

Antonio Gates caught 53 passes for 538 yards and scored seven touchdowns.

On September 2,2018, Antonio Gates re-signed with the Los Angeles Chargers following an injury to Hunter Henry.

Antonio Gates finished the 2018 season with 28 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 16 games and one start.

Antonio Gates finished as the Chargers' franchise leader in receptions and receiving yards.

In 2020, Antonio Gates announced he was joining the Los Angeles Chargers front office as Legends Ambassador.

Antonio Gates married his longtime girlfriend, model Sasha Dindayal, on July 9,2011.

Antonio Gates appeared in the fourth episode of season one and the final episode of season six of The League.

Antonio Gates appeared on a season 27 episode of The Bachelor.