Gates, an eight-time Pro Bowler who's still going strong into his 14th season with San Diego, will one day join fellow two-sport star Tony Gonzalez in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He made the great decision to play basketball at Kent State after Nick Saban asked him to choose football at Michigan State. At 6-4 and 255 pounds, Gates was undersized, but he became a standout forward for the Golden Flashes and eventually had his No. 44 jersey retired.
Gates, a natural scorer and well-rounded junior for coach Stan Heath in 2002, led 10th-seeded Kent State in a surprise run to the Elite Eight, averaging 18.