Charles Bates (American football)
Charles Adams Bates (born c. 1934) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kentucky State University from 1967 to 1969 and Southern University from 1972 to 1977.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1934 |
| Playing career | |
| c. 1955 | Alabama A&M |
| 1957–1958 | Fort Meade |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1963–1965 | Kentucky State (defensive coach) |
| 1966 | Southern (defensive coach) |
| 1967–1969 | Kentucky State |
| 1972–1977 | Southern |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 43–42–3 |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
Early life and playing career
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Bates played college football at Alabama A&M College—now known as Alabama A&M University and then in 1957 and 1958 with the Fort Meade football team while serving in the United States Army.[1] He signed with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as a rookie in 1959.[2]
Coaching career
Bates began his coaching career at the high school level, at West Highland in Fayette, Alabama and Westfield in Birmingham.[1] He spent three seasons as a defensive assistant coach at Kentucky State University before being hired in the same capacity at Southern University in 1966.[3] After a year at Southern, Bates returned to Kentucky State at head football coach.[4]
In 1972, Bates succeeded Alva Tabor as Southern University's head football coach.[5] After a 2–7–1 start to his career at Southern in 1982, Bates and the Jaguars posted two eight-win seasons (1974, 1976) and a nine win-season in 1975 in which Southern captured a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title and won the Pelican Bowl over South Carolina State.[6] After a rough 3–3–1 start to the 1977 season, Bates stepped down mid-season, and Ken Tillage took over coaching duties for the rest of the season.[7]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky State Thorobreds (NCAA College Division independent) (1967–1969) | |||||||||
| 1967 | Kentucky State | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| 1968 | Kentucky State | 2–7 | |||||||
| 1969 | Kentucky State | 0–8 | |||||||
| Kentucky State: | 7–18–1 | ||||||||
| Southern Jaguars (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1972–1977) | |||||||||
| 1972 | Southern | 2–8–1 | 1–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1973 | Southern | 6–4 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1974 | Southern | 8–3 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1975 | Southern | 9–3 | 4–2 | T–1st | W Pelican | ||||
| 1976 | Southern | 8–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1977 | Southern | 3–3–1 | 1–3–1 | ||||||
| Southern: | 36–24–2 | 16–18–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 43–42–3 | ||||||||
References
- Thomas, Bennie (September 4, 1966). "Two Additions Announced To Jaguar Coaching Staff". Alexandria News Leader. Alexandria, Louisiana. p. 2B. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Bears Sign Linemen". Lead Daily Call. Lead, South Dakota. United Press International. June 9, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- Nunn, Bill Jr. (June 25, 1966). "Change of Pace Coaching Staff". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 14. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- Scott, Grafton Jr. (August 18, 1967). "Bates Is Returning To Kentucky State". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. p. 18. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Charlie Bates Head Mentor At Southern". The Crowley Post-Signal. Crowley, Louisiana. United Press International. February 11, 1972. p. 5. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Nearly called off, Pelican Bowl played; Southern wins". Sports. Jet. January 22, 1976. p. 48. Retrieved June 13, 2017 – via Google Books.
- "New Coach for Southern U.". The New York Times. January 7, 1978. Retrieved June 13, 2017.