During a dismal Week 14 game against the Denver Broncos in 2023, Chargers fans had little to celebrate. A season that began with hopes of avenging a historic playoff collapse had devolved into a 5-7 record, with playoff chances all but extinguished. SoFi Stadium was awash in the visiting team’s orange, and when quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending finger fracture, the Chargers’ year officially ended.
Yet, amid the disappointment, the organization offered a moment of triumph. At halftime, legendary tight end Antonio Gates was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
“To the city of San Diego,” Gates began, pausing as the Chargers faithful erupted in the loudest cheer of the day. “You supported me. You embraced a 22-year-old kid from Detroit, and you will always be my second home.”
Gates played 16 seasons for the franchise—14 in San Diego and two in Los Angeles. The relocation remains a sore subject for many fans, who fell silent when Gates thanked Los Angeles and booed audibly at the mention of team owner Dean Spanos. While he never won a championship, Gates defined an era of thrilling and successful Chargers football, and the ovation that day was a powerful reminder of his bond with the city that adopted him. As Gates prepares for his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, many in San Diego will be cheering the loudest.
“He was a guy who just fit the city,” said David Droegemeier, a San Diego native and co-host of the “Locked on Chargers” podcast. “A guy who feels like he’s got to be from here even though he wasn’t. He was ours.”
Gates’ journey to the NFL was improbable. After accepting a football scholarship to Michigan State, he left when coach Nick Saban wouldn’t allow him to play both football and basketball. Gates never played a down of college football. Instead, after stops at Eastern Michigan and a community college, he became a basketball star at Kent State, leading the 10th-seeded team on a historic run to the Elite Eight in 2002. His No. 44 jersey was later retired.
Considered an undersized 6-foot-4 power forward for the NBA, Gates turned his attention back to football. Intrigued by his physical traits, the Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003, though he was a long shot to make the roster. His training camp roommate, fellow undrafted free agent Stephen Cooper, recalled them believing only one would earn a spot. When they learned they both had, their quiet hotel room celebration became an unforgettable moment for Cooper, who played nine seasons with the team.
“We ran around the room trying not to be too loud,” Cooper said. “Out of all the moments with Antonio, that’s one I remember the most.”
Gates went on to revolutionize the tight end position. His basketball background was evident as he boxed out defenders and high-pointed the ball like a rebounder. Current Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh called him the “greatest of all time” and the first tight end he remembers being the focal point of an offense. His success inspired teams to scout former basketball players, most notably Jimmy Graham, who credited Gates for his own career. “He paved the way for me,” Graham said in 2012.
A matchup nightmare, Gates was too quick for linebackers and too strong for defensive backs. “You knew if a team wants to go one-on-one with him, he’s going to kill them,” said former Chargers safety Eric Weddle.
The league took notice quickly. In the 2004 season opener, he caught all eight targets for 123 yards. “Everybody on the sideline was going, ‘Who is this guy?'” recalled Greg Roman, then the Houston Texans’ quarterbacks coach. By his second season, Gates was a first-team All-Pro.
He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns by a tight end (116) and the Chargers’ franchise leader in receptions (955) and receiving yards (11,841). But beyond the stats, former teammates remember his toughness. Ahead of the 2007 AFC Championship Game, Gates played through a dislocated big toe that was so severe he had required a medical cart to leave the field in a previous game.
“From the ankle down, he couldn’t feel anything,” said former linebacker Shawne Merriman, who remembers watching doctors numb Gates’ foot. “For somebody of his caliber… to take that risk, my respect level for him at that point just went through the roof.”
While many Chargers stars like LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers finished their careers elsewhere, Gates remained with the team for 16 years, spanning its most transformative and divisive period. His unwavering loyalty through the move to Los Angeles cemented a unique relationship with San Diego.
“It is just really special to have somebody who started his career in San Diego and stayed with the team the entire time,” Droegemeier said. “He was also just such a playmaker. It’s obviously really easy to resonate with those types of players.”
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