Kudos for Coates, 13th Patriot Hall of Famer

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, July 09, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

New England Patriots
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Congratulations from RealFootball365.com go out today to former New England Patriots tight end Ben Coates, who was named to the team's Hall of Fame earlier this week; fan voting for the nomination was closed after the weekend and Coates had topped fullback Jim Nance to win the 13th spot in the Hall.

Coates was simply the most compelling weapon in New England's passing arsenal during the days of Bill Parcells and Drew Bledsoe, and a cornerstone of the surprising Super Bowl XXXI team.

Drafted out of tiny North Carolina private school Livingstone College in 1991, Coates was just two seasons later leading the Patriots in receptions. In 1994, Coates began his run of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and his 96 receptions that year were the most ever by a tight end, a mark which wouldn’t be bettered by a Patriot until Troy Brown seven years later. By the time of his retirement in 2000, Coates ranked fourth all-time in the category behind Kellen Winslow, Shannon Sharpe and Ozzie Newsome.

Coates was last year denied entry into Foxborough’s hallowed halls simply because of the awesome presence of Stanley Morgan on that ballot.

A decent piece by Shalise Manza Young over at the Providence Journal on the induction features Coates giving much of the credit for early 1990s Patriot success to Bledsoe, stating that “I think (playing for Parcells) helped out a lot, but what helped out more than anything was Drew Bledsoe.”

And the teamwork, said Coates, was key: “If you were in the flat, he still threw it 100 miles an hour, but he knew he had someone he could depend on. He knew where I was going to be at all times. I guess it worked out hand-in-hand — for him and for me.”

While sometimes a bit more humble in giving the official word, saying “I am honored to be the inductee” and “I guess it was my time,” Coates also stated emphatically that “It is just a matter of time before I will actually get that call to go to Canton.”

You've gotta love that confidence, eh? (One presumes Coates isn’t referring to an invite for his buddy Andre Tippett’s induction party in August ...)

Today, Coates coaches football in Greenville, S.C., and states he ultimately [wants] to get back into the NFL.”

And because it's the season to plug NFL charities, the Ben Coates Foundation should be mentioned. Coates’ organization was founded after his sister’s death of breast cancer and supports children orphaned by those who have died of cancer; presumably the foundation is still in existence, though the Web site hasn’t been updated in some time.

Cheers and congratulations again, Ben Coates. See you in Canton someday; it’s just a matter of time, after all ...

Lauding the Hall of Famers throughout the year at RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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