William Frederick Bates (born June 6, 1961, in Knoxville, Tennessee) is a former American football safety in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys.
High school and college career
Bates attended Farragut High School in Knoxville, leading the Farragut Admirals to the state semi-finals in 1978, in which the Admirals lost to Red Bank by one point. Bates played college football at the University of Tennessee where he was second team All-SEC as a junior and senior.
Professional career
Because of his size -- Bates was later listed by the Cowboys at 6'1" and 203 pounds -- he was not highly recruited when he graduated from college. He joined the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, where he spent his entire career. He was a one-time Pro Bowler in 1984 as a special teams player, a spot that was basically created for him, where he was also elected All-Pro that season. While with the Cowboys, he played in Super Bowl XXVIII and XXX (Bates was injured when the Cowboys played in Super Bowl XXVII.) His autobiography is entitled Shoot for the Star. He spent one year with the Jacksonville Jaguars as Special Teams Coach in 2001. On August 18, 2005 Bates was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.[1] Bates then was an assistant coach for Nease High School's football team, which won the 2005 Florida State Championship. He will now be an assistant coach for Ponte Vedra High School. Besides being a high school coach, Bill Bates also is a well known motivational speaker all around the country. Currently Bill Bates also runs a cattle ranch in North Dallas. He and his wife Denise have five children: Dillon, Tanner, Graham, Brianna, and Hunter. Graham, Brianna, and Hunter are triplets, and Graham and Hunter are currently playing college football at Arkansas State and Northwestern, respectively.
External links
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