Chargers add Antonio Gates to Hall of Fame

Antonio Gates, one of the most prolific players to ever compete in the National Football League, will officially be inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame during the 2023 season, it was announced by the team. Gates will be the 41st member enshrined into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

The official induction ceremony will take place Sunday, Dec. 10, during halftime of the Chargers-Broncos divisional tilt at SoFi Stadium. 

Gates officially announced his retirement from the NFL in January 2020 after spending his entire 16-year career with the Chargers, concluding a historic run with 116 touchdown receptions and 21 multi-touchdown games — both the most by a tight end in NFL history.

One of the most clutch receivers to ever play the game, Gates’ 39 touchdown receptions on third down are also the most in league history at tight end and tied with Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter for No. 3 overall. Over the course of his career, Gates registered eight seasons with eight-plus receiving touchdowns, the most ever by a tight end and tied for No. 5 all-time.

“As I’ve said many times now, Antonio is not only one of the greatest Chargers to ever play the game, he’s one of the greatest players in NFL history,” said controlling owner and Chairman of the Board Dean Spanos.

Spanos added, “That couldn’t be any truer today than it was at the time of his retirement. As the years have passed, and as the game has continued to evolve, it’s impossible not to notice the impact Antonio has had on the modern NFL and the way teams utilize tight ends.  Just as Kellen Winslow forever changed the position decades earlier, Antonio redefined what it meant to be a tight end in the 21^st century. His contributions to our organization, on the field and off, are those of a Hall of Famer. This was, to me, always a mere formality. After we celebrate him at SoFi Stadium this December, I look forward to doing it once again in Canton.”

Signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003, Gates joined the Bolts not having played organized football since his senior season at Detroit’s Central High School. A standout power forward for the Kent State men’s basketball team, he quickly flashed that tantalizing athleticism against Green Bay with the first 100-yard receiving game by a Chargers rookie since 1989.

From the beginning of his career to the end, Gates was a model of consistency on the field and in the community. The franchise’s all-time leader in career receptions (955), receiving yards (11,841) and touchdown catches (116) and second all-time in regular season games played (220), off the field Gates’s history of working on behalf of charitable causes is well documented.

Most notably, Gates has been a fervent supporter of the Lupus Foundation of America to honor the memory of his late sister, Pamela. He has also served as the honorary chairman for Shoot to Cure HD for several years in support of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, appeared in the PSA campaign No More in 2014 to help stop domestic violence, played host to the team’s annual Shop with a Charger event benefitting homeless, neglected and/or abused children and has worked closely with Promises2Kids to support foster youth.

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Gates is a member of five Associated Press All-Pro teams, owns three Sporting News First-Team All-Pro selections and is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team (2000-09) as well as the Chargers’ 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

“I love my friend, my teammate, Antonio Gates,” said legendary Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers at the time of Gates’ retirement. “I am very thankful to have gotten the opportunity to be Antonio’s teammate for 15 seasons. I remember like it was yesterday the very first touchdown pass I threw him in Oakland in 2006. We only threw 11 passes that day and he wasn’t quite as happy as I was after that TD. Who would of thought that many years later we would have the most touchdowns ever between a quarterback and tight end? I could go on and on about the memories from practice, games, the huddle, the sideline, the subtle in-game glances, the “come on now” as we broke the huddle which meant, “throw me the ball!” He was so hard to cover that we had a “Gates Rule” in the QB room. We would talk through the reads and the plays and they all had a “Gates Rule.” It pretty much meant, if he is one-on-one, throw it there.

“Gatesy is as competitive as anybody I have ever been around. No matter what we were doing, he played to win. He would probably tell you; he never even lost an argument. We were also locker mates for 15 seasons. I enjoyed so much the conversations we had about family, life, children, sports, and anything in between. I truly miss those times we would just sit there after practice and just talk and laugh and argue.

“He no doubt is one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. He is the master of a pivot 3 and a 7 route. He ran all of the others pretty dang good also. He will be in the HOF in three years, and it’s well deserved.”