A standout athlete and exceptional leader on the football and lacrosse teams, Gates was a three-year letterman in both sports and gridiron captain in 1955.
In football, Gates was a two-way lineman on teams that posted a combined 19- 2-1 record. During the 1954 season, he was named the Quarterback Club Player of the Week for his efforts against Allegheny. The Statesmen finished that season with an unblemished 8-0-0 record, the first unbeaten and untied campaign in program history. Gates was named to the Little All-America second team.
The 1954 football team was one of the first four squads named Hobart Teams of Distinction, on Nov. 3, 2006.
The 1955 team, led by Gates, nearly posted another unbeaten season, posting a 6-1-1 record. After dominating Wagner and Allegheny, the Statesmen played Buffalo to a scoreless tie, but rebounded with four straight wins to carry a 6-0-1 mark into the finale against an also unbeaten side from Alfred. Unfortunately, the Saxons emerged from the defensive struggle with a 6-0 victory with the game’s only score coming in the fourth quarter.
Despite the fact that he hadn’t played lacrosse until arriving at Hobart, Gates became a bruising defenseman. In his first season, the Statesmen posted a modest 4-4 record, but by his senior year, the team logged a strong 8-3 mark that included a 9-0 shutout of Cortland. Following Hobart’s 11-5 win over Penn State in 1956, the Geneva Times reported that Gates and his fellow defensemen “were the towers of strength in front of the crease,” providing “some excellent assistance…[breaking] up Penn State plays before they could reach the scoring area.” In addition to his athletic pursuits, Gates was a member of Kappa Sigma and the Canterbury Club and served on the Interfraternity Council.
Following graduation, Gates was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, serving in the Mediterranean Sea as a communications officer. While he was stationed in Quantico, Va., he played for the base’s football team and later coached the team at Camp Lejune. Though he left active duty in 1959, Gates continued to serve the country as a member of the Reserves before retiring from military service as a captain.
Gates was a founding member of the Statesmen Athletic Association in 1970. He was a generous and loyal supporter of Hobart Athletics.
An accomplished businessman, Gates was founder and president of Broome Bitumous Products, which employed nearly 100 people throughout New York State. An active member of his community, he served as a director of the Vestal (N.Y.) Youth Football League, a Vestal Recreation board member and on the Vestal planning board for many years.
Gates passed away on Oct. 21, 2017, at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Helen, and their five children, Daniel ’87, Christopher, KellyAnne, Michael and Seana.
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