Antonio Gates Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Antonio Gates is an American former professional football player who had represented, as a tight end, the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers throughout his career (2003–2018) in the NFL (National Football League). He had been selected for the Pro Bowl, NFL‘s All-Star Game, 8 times (2004–2011), and named in the First-team All-Pro 3 times (2004–2006), the Second-Team All-Pro twice (2009, 2010). He was also named in the ‘NFL 2000s All-Decade Team’ and the ‘San Diego Chargers’ 50th Anniversary Team’. He had retired from the sport in January 2020 as the Chargers‘ career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. As of September 2020, he had the 7th most career touchdown receptions (116) in NFL history which was the most for a tight end.

Born Name

Antonio Ethan Gates Jr.

Nick Name

Antonio ‘Open’ Gates, Mr. Clutch

Sun Sign

Gemini

Born Place

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States

Residence

Encino, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Antonio had graduated from the Central High School in his hometown of Detroit. He had then joined Michigan State University intending to play both basketball and football. However, upon learning that the coaches there wanted him to stick to just football, he got a transfer to Eastern Michigan University to play college basketball. After a partial season there, he took another transfer, this time to the College of the Sequoias, a junior college in California, to focus on academics. He then finished his junior and senior years at Kent State University, graduating eventually in 2003.

Occupation

Professional American Football Player (Retired)

Family

• Father – Henry Gates
• Mother – Vanelia Gates
• Siblings – Pamela Gates (Younger Sister) (d. July 2014). He has 2 other siblings.

Position

Tight End

Jersey Number

85 – San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 4 in or 193 cm

Weight

116 kg or 255.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Antonio has dated –

1. Sasha Dindayal (2011–Present) – Antonio got married to his long-term girlfriend and model Sasha Dindayal on July 9, 2011, in a ceremony in San Diego, California. They have 2 children together – a son named Aven Gates (b. 2015) and a daughter named Ayla Gates.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

He is of African-American descent.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Close-cropped hair
• Affable smile

Antonio Gates Facts

1. Antonio, surprisingly, had played basketball instead of football in his college career. In his 2 years (junior and senior), playing as a power forward for Kent State University‘s Golden Flashes, he had helped the team win its first-ever regular-season Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and then another MAC tournament which had earned them a place in the 2002 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. In 2010, his jersey number, 44, was retired and he became just the 4th Golden Flash ever to earn that honor.
2. However, despite his performances, many talent scouts had marked him out as a tweener, a player who could play 2 positions without being good enough to play exclusively at either, in a league as strong as the NBA. He did not get disheartened by this and arranged for trials with NFL scouts. Astonishingly, about 19 teams contacted him for a tryout and he was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent. As his career in the NFL progressed, many pundits considered him as one of the best undrafted free agents in NFL history.
3. In 2015, he had become the 9th player in NFL history, and just the 2nd tight end, to record 100 career touchdown receptions.
4. After the end of the 2017 NFL season, his contract was not renewed by the Los Angeles Chargers but following a spate of pre-season injuries, he was re-signed in September 2018. He eventually went on to play in every regular and post-season game that season.
5. He had made an appearance in the 4th episode of the 1st season (2009) and then in the last episode of the 6th season (2014) of The League, a sitcom about a fantasy football league and the everyday lives of its players.

Featured Image by Antonio Gates / Twitter