In the history of Kent State University athletics, few stories rival the remarkable journeys of Antonio Gates and James Harrison. These two Golden Flashes alumni, who took drastically different paths to professional football stardom, now find themselves a step closer to football immortality as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
Gates, of course, made his mark on the basketball court at Kent State. The Detroit native dominated the hardwood for two spectacular seasons, compiling an impressive 52-15 record and leading the Golden Flashes to their first-ever Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season championship.
His crowning achievement came in the 2001-2002 season, when he guided Kent State to a stunning 30-6 record and a historic NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight” run, toppling three top-25 opponents along the way. As a senior, Gates averaged 20.6 points per game and set a school record with 640 total points, earning AP Honorable Mention All-American honors in the process.
The university retired his number, 44, and inducted him into its Varsity “K” Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010, followed by his election to the MAC Hall of Fame in 2017.
Despite never playing college football, Gates signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 2003.
Over 16 seasons, he revolutionized the tight end position, setting records that still stand today: 116 career receiving touchdowns (the most ever by a tight end) and an unprecedented eight seasons with eight-plus receiving touchdowns.
His career numbers – 955 receptions, 11,841 yards and those 116 touchdowns – earned him eight straight Pro Bowl selections (2004-2011), three first-team All-Pro honors (2004-2006) and a place on the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. In 2023, Gates was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Harrison’s path, while beginning on the football field at Kent State, was no less improbable. From 1999-2001, he terrorized MAC offenses, recording 15 career sacks and 42 tackles for loss – marks that still rank among the best in school history.
His dominant collegiate career, which included leading the team with 106 total tackles in 2000 and earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2001 with 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss, earned him a place alongside Gates in the Kent State Varsity “K” Athletics Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 2010.
Like Gates, Harrison went undrafted, but the Pittsburgh Steelers saw potential in the fierce linebacker. He would go on to become the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and win two Super Bowl rings.
Later this year, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee will narrow the Modern-Era Players list to 15 finalists. These finalists will be part of a larger group of 20 candidates considered for enshrinement, including three seniors, one coach and one contributor, all to be announced in December 2024.
The final verdict will come during the Selection Committee’s annual meeting before Super Bowl LIX, where between four and eight new members will be chosen for enshrinement.
The Class of 2025 will be unveiled during “NFL Honors” in New Orleans, with the enshrinement ceremony to follow in August 2025 in Canton.
Antonio Gates, a four-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, is now a Semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025. @chargers | #PFHOF25 pic.twitter.com/xARlaFirYY
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) Nov. 20, 2024
A two-time Super Bowl champion with the @steelers and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, James Harrison is now a Semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025. #PFHOF25 pic.twitter.com/gZfjcZ1hYO
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) Nov. 20, 2024