No. 81, 83, 82, 24, 20, 29 | |||||||||
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Position: |
Return specialist Wide receiver Special teamer |
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Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | December 19, 1969 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Victoria, Texas | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Arizona | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1992 / Round: 6 / Pick: 150 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Return Touchdowns: | 5 |
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Kick Returns: | 373 |
KR yards: | 9,110 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Medal record | ||
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Men’s athletics | ||
Representing the United States | ||
Olympic Games | ||
1992 Barcelona | 200 metres | |
Summer Universiade | ||
1991 Sheffield | 100 metres |
Michael Dion Bates (born December 19, 1969) is a former two-sport athlete who gained renown both as a sprinter who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 200-meter dash in 1992, and also as a five-time American football Pro Bowl standout kick returner in the National Football League.
A letterman in football and track at Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, Bates was the unanimous selection of the Long Beach Press-Telegram as the "Best in the West." He was rated by Parade as the second-best prospect in the country at running back behind Terry Kirby. His brother Mario played for the Arizona Cardinals and was a second-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 1992 from Arizona State. Another brother, Marion, played collegiately at Southern California and Arizona.
He played college football and ran track for the University of Arizona. In track, he was voted the Pac-10's Outstanding Male Performer at the conference track championships in 1989 and 1990, winning the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He was also a member of the Wildcats 400-meter relay team that finished second in the 1989 NCAA Championships. His college-best time was 10.17 in the 100 meters.