FINS FACT
Clyde took an unusual route to the NFL. He quit football after his freshman year at Vernon (Texas) High School to concentrate on basketball, where he was a standout point guard. He walked on the basketball team at Tyler Junior College, but he left school after not appearing in any games in 2004-05. His high school coach set up tryouts for him with Georgia Tech and Georgetown, but Clyde could not afford the airfare and he returned home to Vernon. While home, he met the secondary coach at Abilene Christian, a Division II school, and he enrolled there in 2007 with his cousin and an old junior college friend, Johnny Knox, who now plays receiver for the Chicago Bears. Gates walked on the football team despite not having played for six years, and became a full-time starter in 2009, his junior year. “It’s a blessing,” Gates said. “It’s just part of a plan. I really had no control over (my situation),” Gates said. “I was just trailing my cousin. They talked me into it, and I just went for it, and it kind of worked out for the better.”
FINS FACT
Clyde took an unusual route to the NFL. He quit football after his freshman year at Vernon (Texas) High School to concentrate on basketball, where he was a standout point guard. He walked on the basketball team at Tyler Junior College, but he left school after not appearing in any games in 2004-05. His high school coach set up tryouts for him with Georgia Tech and Georgetown, but Clyde could not afford the airfare and he returned home to Vernon. While home, he met the secondary coach at Abilene Christian, a Division II school, and he enrolled there in 2007 with his cousin and an old junior college friend, Johnny Knox, who now plays receiver for the Chicago Bears. Gates walked on the football team despite not having played for six years, and became a full-time starter in 2009, his junior year. “It’s a blessing,” Gates said. “It’s just part of a plan. I really had no control over (my situation),” Gates said. “I was just trailing my cousin. They talked me into it, and I just went for it, and it kind of worked out for the better.”
COLLEGE
Played in 46 games with 34 starts at Abilene Christian . . . Finished collegiate career with 158 receptions for 2,885 yards (18.3 avg.) and 27 touchdowns . . . Added 38 carries for 336 yards (8.9 avg.) with five touchdowns . . . Also returned 20 kickoffs for 520 yards (26.0 avg.) . . . Registered 13 100-yard receiving performances . . . Left school ranked second in career receiving yards and tied for second in touchdown catches . . . Registered 118 first downs on his 158 catches (74.7-percent) and converted 20 third-down throws and three more on fourth-down snaps . . . Also 103 of his catches (65.2-percent) were good for at least ten yards, including 48 grabs (30.4-percent) of 20 yards or longer . . . Started all 12 games as a senior in 2010 . . . Finished season with 66 catches for 1,182 (17.9 avg.) and 13 touchdowns . . . Added three rushes for seven yards . . . Named a first-team Little All-American selection and Division II Receiver of the Year by The NFL Draft Report . . . Added first-team All-Lone Star Conference South honors and was also chosen LSC South Receiver of the Year . . . Opened season with five catches for 138 yards and two scores at Washburn . . . Had 11 receptions for 135 yards and a score at Texas A&M-Kingsville . . . Caught three passes for 121 yards and two scores at Incarnate Word . . . Registered seven receptions for 124 and three scores at Eastern New Mexico . . . Played in 13 games with 12 starts as a junior in 2009 . . . Finished season with 49 receptions for 702 yards (14.3 avg.) and five touchdowns . . . Added ten rushes for 46 yards . . . Named a first-team All-Lone Star Conference South selection . . . Gained at least 100 yards receiving in four contests . . . Caught six passes for 126 yards and a score vs. Eastern New Mexico . . . Thad five receptions for 111 yards with a long of 72 yards and a TD vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville . . . Played in ten games with six starts as a sophomore in 2008 . . . Finished season with 31 receptions for 716 yards (23.1 avg.) with eight touchdowns . . . Added 11 rushes for 94 yards and a touchdown . . . Received first-team All-Lone Star Conference South honors . . . Also returned five kickoffs for 105 yards (21.0 avg.), including a 49-yarder that set up a Wildcats touchdown drive . . . Opened season with five catches for 122 yards at NW Missouri State . . . Caught eight passes for 164 yards and two scores with a long of 74 yards at Eastern New Mexico . . . Played in 11 games with four starts as a freshman . . . Had not played football since his freshman year in high school . . . Finished season with 12 receptions for 285 yards (23.8 avg.) with one touchdown . . . Added 14 carries for 189 rushing yards and four touchdowns . . . Gained 402 yards on 14 kickoff returns and his 28.7 yards per attempt ranked 13th in the nation . . . Six of his kickoff returns led to ACU touchdown drives . . . Named honorable mention All-LSC . . . Caught one pass for a 56-yard touchdown at Angelo State . . . Was a walk-on for the Tyler (Tex.) Junior College basketball team during the 2004-05 season, but did not appear in any games . . . Majored in physical education.
PERSONAL
Has a son, Edmond Gates, Jr . . . Attended Vernon (Tex.) High School . . . Earned All-District honors in basketball . . . Cousin of running back Bernard Scott, a sixth-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009 . . . Full name is Edmond “Clyde” Darell Gates, born June 13, 1986 in Vernon, Tex.
