Overview

• On July 31, 2025, Antonio Gates was officially enshrined in Canton as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, marking him as the first inductee with no collegiate football experience.
• Undrafted in 2003 and signed by the Chargers for a $7,000 bonus, Gates transitioned from college basketball to the NFL and earned his first Pro Bowl nod by the end of the 2004 season.
• Spending all 16 seasons with the Chargers franchise, Gates retired with franchise records of 955 receptions and 11,841 receiving yards, and he set the NFL tight end touchdown mark at 116.
• He was selected to eight consecutive Pro Bowls from 2004 through 2011 and earned first-team All-Pro honors three times between 2004 and 2006, cementing his elite status.
• Gates’s success has inspired NFL teams to expand their scouting to basketball athletes, paving the way for other hoop-to-gridiron conversions at the tight end position.