Tony Yates

Tony Yates (born September 15, 1937) is a retired American college basketball player and coach.

Yates was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, the son of Robert and Alice Ware Yates. He attended Lockland Wayne High School in nearby Cincinnati, leading the team the Ohio high school basketball championship title in 1952, a team on which his brother, Fletcher, also starred. He graduated in 1954. Because he was offered only partial scholarships to the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, he worked for a year while playing on a barnstorming basketball team before joining the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, got married in 1958, and also continued to play basketball in the military, in which he served until 1959.

He decided to pursue college basketball again, even though he was now 22. This time he accepted a partial scholarship offer from Cincinnati, and he played on the freshman team in 1959–60. In his sophomore season of 1960–61, the now 23-year-old "Gramps", as he was nicknamed by players, was a starting guard for the Bearcats.

As a point guard, Yates was known for his outstanding floor leadership and defensive ability. In 1960–61, Yates averaged 7.4 points and 2.7 assists per game as the Bearcats went 27-3, won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), and advanced to the NCAA championship game. Cincinnati defeated Ohio State 70-65 to claim the national crown.

As a junior in 1961–62, Yates averaged 8.2 points per game and led the Bearcats in assists with 4.3 per game. The Bearcats posted a 29-2 record, again won the MVC and again advanced to the 1962 national championship game. Cincinnati again faced Ohio State, and again the Bearcats bested the Buckeyes, 71-59, to capture their second consecutive national title. Yates earned second-team All-American honors from the Helms Foundation and was named honorable mention All-American by United Press International (UPI).

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