Antonio Gates College career . After his senior season of high school basketball , Gates was named runner - up for the Mr . Basketball of Michigan award to Dane Fife . Originally , Gates enrolled at Michigan State University wanting to play football under then - coach Nick Saban as well as basketball under coach Tom Izzo but upon enrolling Saban wanted him to play only football . Gates then chose to pursue playing basketball by transferring to Eastern Michigan University to play basketball . He played there part of a season , subsequently played at two junior colleges and eventually played two seasons at Kent State University in northeastern Ohio . As a Golden Flash , Gates played two seasons as power forward . His junior season he averaged 16 . 0 points , 8 . 1 rebounds and 2 . 7 assists per game His senior season he received Honorable Mention All - American Honors from the Associated Press after averaging 20 . 6 points , 7 . 7 rebounds and 4 . 1 assists per game . His senior season his team won its first regular season Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) championship in school history after finishing the regular season with a 24 - 5 overall record with a 17 - 1 record in the MAC . Gates helped the Golden Flashes win their second consecutive MAC tournament and earn its resulting berth in the 2002 NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament In the NCAA tournament he gave crucial performances that helped Kent State reach the Elite Eight as a 10 seed by upsetting 7 seed Oklahoma State ( 69 - 61 ) , 2 seed Alabama ( 71 - 58 ) and 3 seed Pittsburgh ( 78 - 73 ) . He finished with a record of 54 - 16 in two years of playing . His jersey number , 44 was retired on Feb 27 , 2010 making him just the fourth Golden Flash to receive the honor . His parents names are Vanelia Gates and Henry Gates . NFL career . San Diego Chargers . After being told by scouts that he was too much of a “ tweener ” to make the NBA , Gates ( 6 ′ 4 ″ ) arranged a workout in front of NFL scouts . As many as 19 teams were believed to have contacted Gates about a tryout . Gates chose to work out first for the San Diego Chargers . Recognizing his potential , the Chargers immediately signed him to a contract as an undrafted free agent . After finishing a solid 2003 rookie season in which he caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two scores , he was picked by many experts to have a breakout season in 2004 . That year , only his second season in the NFL , Gates became quarterback Drew Brees ' favorite target , finishing the season with 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 touchdown s . On December 19 , Gates tied the NFL season record for touchdowns by a tight end ( 13 ) in a 21 – 0 win over the Cleveland Browns , and he went on to break that record in an overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on December 26 . Gates was selected to the 2005 Pro Bowl and caught a TD pass from Colts ' quarterback Peyton Manning to help the AFC to a 38 – 27 victory . Additionally , Gates was on the receiving end of a 33 yard pass from teammate Drew Brees in a flea - flicker play selected by fans online . On August 23 , 2005 , after holding out for a contract extension , Gates inked a six - year deal worth up to $ 24 million with the San Diego Chargers . Because of his holdout , Gates was suspended for one game – the home opener against the Dallas Cowboys , a loss . Gates went on to have another stellar season , catching 89 passes for 1 , 101 yards and 10 touchdowns , but the Chargers missed the playoffs by a single win . With the departure of Drew Brees during the offseason , it was assumed that Gates would suffer a decline in production in 2006 , with first - year starter Philip Rivers at the helm . Gates had a relatively quiet start to the season , but he finished the year strongly and ended up with 924 receiving yards and nine touchdowns . He caught two touchdown passes on December 10 against Denver to help the Chargers clinch their division . 2008 . Gates said he was leaning toward having surgery to repair a dislocated left big toe that slowed his performance during the NFL 2008 Playoffs , but was undecided on whether to have surgery or not , " There is higher chance I ' m going to have surgery " . Gates also pulled out of his 5th Pro Bowl selection because of his injuries alongside his teammate LaDainian Tomlinson . Gates finished the season with 60 receptions for 704 yards and eight touchdowns . On February 23 , 2008 , Gates said he would have foot surgery to fix the injury that has hurt him in the final part of the season . He would face a 4 – 6 month recovery time . He seemed questionable for Week 1 and even sounded worried about his status for the opening day of the 2008 season , however , he ended up playing every game despite complaints that his toe was bothering him during the first half of the season . 2009 . For the 2009 NFL regular season , Gates caught 79 passes for 1 , 157 yards and eight touchdowns . His 1 , 157 receiving yards is his career high . 2010 . Gates began the 2010 season by signing a lucrative 5 - year $ 36 million contract with $ 20 million guaranteed . In the first nine games of the 2010 season , he had 40 receptions and 9 touchdowns . Foot injuries slowed the second half of his season . He was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl , the seventh consecutive year he was chosen as the AFC starter .