Antonio Gates becomes 1st Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee to not play college football, thanks Tim Brewster

Antonio Gates took a unique path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played 16 pro seasons and was a standout tight end with 116 touchdowns, 3 All-Pro selections and 8 Pro Bowls. But unlike the rest of his Hall of Fame brethren, Gates never played college football. He was a basketball player at Eastern Michigan and Kent State before going to the NFL.

At Saturday’s introduction, Gates made sure to acknowledge a coach familiar to many college football fans: Tim Brewster. Before becoming the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and serving as an assistant at Mississippi State, Florida State, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Florida and elsewhere, Brewster was a tight ends coach in the NFL.

Brewster was with the San Diego Chargers when Gates caught his eye. Gates would go on to have a legendary 16-season career with the Chargers.

Out of nowhere, coach Rob Murphy introduced me to a guy named Tim Brewster,” Gates said at his Saturday inducation. “Tim Brewster, at the time, was the tight ends coach for the San Diego Chargers. Tim Brewster saw something in me. He would come and watch me play basketball, but he was confident I’d be an All-Pro tight end in three years.

“Switching sports can be a life-changing experience. The unexpected opportunities are often the most powerful ones, because they can completely redirect your life — if you’re ready to take advantage of the opportunity. To coach Tim Brewster, thank you. And to the late, great Marty Schottenheimer and his family, thank you, because you gave me the opportunity to play tight end in the NFL. Because of you, now NFL teams and scouts will never look at college basketball players the same again.

Gates’ son, Antonio Gates Jr., was a wide receiver for Michigan State the past 2 seasons. In January, Gates committed to Delaware State for the 2025 season. Brewster spent the past 3 seasons at Jackson State, Colorado and Charlotte. He’s currently on staff at Sacramento State.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.