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Ben Coates
Ben Terrence Coates Jr. (born August 16, 1969) is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Livingstone Blue Bears and was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft, where he spent all but one season of his NFL career. In his final season, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
During his nine seasons with the Patriots, Coates received five Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. He also made an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. After being released by the Patriots, Coates signed with the Ravens and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XXXV. Coates pursued a coaching career following his retirement, serving as the head coach at his alma mater Livingstone and the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. He was named to the second NFL 1990s All-Decade Team in 2000 and inducted to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2008.
Coates was born on August 16, 1969, in Greenwood, South Carolina, the youngest of eight children of Ben Coates Sr. and Mozella Coates. His oldest brother Gary Coates, was a significant influence, pushing him towards college and staying committed to working out and catching balls daily. Coates did not play football until his senior year at Greenwood High School.
At Livingstone, Coates became a multi-sport athlete, competing in both football and basketball. On the football field, he emerged as a dominant tight end, setting school records with 103 receptions for 1,268 yards and 18 touchdowns. He joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, becoming a member through the Untouchable Upsilon Chapter on campus. Despite playing in the CIAA, a small-school Division II conference with limited national attention, Coates’s on-field production made him one of the top tight end prospects in the country. He was later inducted into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Hall of Fame in 2018.
Considered an out-of-nowhere prospect, Coates was selected in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. His first two years with the Patriots were fairly uneventful; in his rookie year he had ten catches for 95 yards and a two-yard touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts that forced overtime in a 23–17 Patriots win. In his second season, he had 20 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
His career changed with the 1993 arrival of quarterback Drew Bledsoe and head coach Bill Parcells to the Patriots franchise. Parcells, known for his reliance on tight ends, frequently used then-rookie quarterback Bledsoe on passes to Coates, and the tight end led the Patriots in receptions in 1993 with 53 catches for 629 yards and eight scores, two of them in New England's season-ending overtime win over Miami.
In 1994, his breakout year, he caught 96 passes, the most ever for a tight end to that point, breaking a record previously set by Todd Christensen in 1986 (the record was later broken by Tony Gonzalez in 2004), for 1,174 yards receiving, the only time in his career he would gain 1,000 yards in a receiving season, while also scoring seven touchdowns. He appeared in his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls.
In 1996, Coates had 62 catches for 682 yards and nine touchdowns; the most dramatic was against the New York Giants in the final game of the regular season as he caught a 12-yard pass and bulled through Giants defenders for the game-winning score of a 23–22 New England win. His efforts helped New England to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. His team lost the game, 35–21, but he had a good performance in it, leading the Patriots in receiving with 6 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. From 1995 to 1998, he caught 84, 62, 66, and 67 passes, respectively, in those four seasons.
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Ben Coates
Ben Terrence Coates Jr. (born August 16, 1969) is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Livingstone Blue Bears and was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft, where he spent all but one season of his NFL career. In his final season, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
During his nine seasons with the Patriots, Coates received five Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. He also made an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. After being released by the Patriots, Coates signed with the Ravens and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XXXV. Coates pursued a coaching career following his retirement, serving as the head coach at his alma mater Livingstone and the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. He was named to the second NFL 1990s All-Decade Team in 2000 and inducted to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2008.
Coates was born on August 16, 1969, in Greenwood, South Carolina, the youngest of eight children of Ben Coates Sr. and Mozella Coates. His oldest brother Gary Coates, was a significant influence, pushing him towards college and staying committed to working out and catching balls daily. Coates did not play football until his senior year at Greenwood High School.
At Livingstone, Coates became a multi-sport athlete, competing in both football and basketball. On the football field, he emerged as a dominant tight end, setting school records with 103 receptions for 1,268 yards and 18 touchdowns. He joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, becoming a member through the Untouchable Upsilon Chapter on campus. Despite playing in the CIAA, a small-school Division II conference with limited national attention, Coates’s on-field production made him one of the top tight end prospects in the country. He was later inducted into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Hall of Fame in 2018.
Considered an out-of-nowhere prospect, Coates was selected in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. His first two years with the Patriots were fairly uneventful; in his rookie year he had ten catches for 95 yards and a two-yard touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts that forced overtime in a 23–17 Patriots win. In his second season, he had 20 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
His career changed with the 1993 arrival of quarterback Drew Bledsoe and head coach Bill Parcells to the Patriots franchise. Parcells, known for his reliance on tight ends, frequently used then-rookie quarterback Bledsoe on passes to Coates, and the tight end led the Patriots in receptions in 1993 with 53 catches for 629 yards and eight scores, two of them in New England's season-ending overtime win over Miami.
In 1994, his breakout year, he caught 96 passes, the most ever for a tight end to that point, breaking a record previously set by Todd Christensen in 1986 (the record was later broken by Tony Gonzalez in 2004), for 1,174 yards receiving, the only time in his career he would gain 1,000 yards in a receiving season, while also scoring seven touchdowns. He appeared in his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls.
In 1996, Coates had 62 catches for 682 yards and nine touchdowns; the most dramatic was against the New York Giants in the final game of the regular season as he caught a 12-yard pass and bulled through Giants defenders for the game-winning score of a 23–22 New England win. His efforts helped New England to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. His team lost the game, 35–21, but he had a good performance in it, leading the Patriots in receiving with 6 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. From 1995 to 1998, he caught 84, 62, 66, and 67 passes, respectively, in those four seasons.