13 Facts About Tony Yates

Tony Yates was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Tony Yates was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, the son of Robert and Alice Ware Tony Yates.

Tony Yates attended Lockland Wayne High School in nearby Cincinnati, leading the team to the Ohio high school basketball championship title in 1952, a team on which his brother, Fletcher, starred.

Tony Yates was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, got married in 1958, and continued to play basketball in the military, in which he served until 1959.

Tony Yates decided to pursue college basketball again, even though he was now 22.

Tony Yates earned second-team All-American honors from the Helms Foundation and was named honorable mention All-American by United Press International.

Tony Yates was again named All-MVC as well as first team All-American by the Helms Foundation, third-team All-American by the Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches along with honorable mention by UPI and The Sporting News.

In tribute to Tony Yates' defensive prowess, he was a three-year winner of the Bearcats' Best Defensive Player award for his efforts in helping UC finish fourth and first, respectively in the 1962 and 1963 NCAA national defensive rankings.

Tony Yates was drafted in the fifth round of the 1963 NBA draft by the St Louis Hawks.

Tony Yates returned to the University of Cincinnati as an assistant coach under Tay Baker and Gale Catlett from 1972 to 1974.

However, it wasn't enough as Tony Yates was fired and later replaced by Bob Huggins.

In 1985, Tony Yates was inducted into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.

Tony Yates was inducted in the 2020 class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.