Why Antonio Gates was important to the NFL and to San Diego - ESPN

There wasn't much for Chargers fans to cheer about in Los Angeles' 2023 game against the Denver Broncos in Week 14.

A season after one of the most embarrassing playoff losses in NFL history, the Chargers came into the campaign motivated to avenge that defeat and reach their potential of contending for a championship. Instead, on this Sunday, they were 5-7, and their playoff chances were just about gone. SoFi Stadium, their home stadium, was covered in Denver orange by Broncos fans.

Then quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending right index finger fracture in the first quarter, and as he exited, so did the Chargers' season.

But amid a day and a season of disappointment, the organization gave reeling fans a reason to smile. At halftime, the team held a ceremony to induct tight end Antonio Gates into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

«To the city of San Diego,» Gates said, pausing as the Chargers contingent roared as loudly as it had that afternoon. «You supported me. You embraced a 22-year-old kid from Detroit, and you will always be my second home.»

Gates played 16 seasons in the NFL, 14 in San Diego and two in Los Angeles after the team relocated. That move is still a sore spot for some fans who were mum when Gates thanked Los Angeles and booed loudly when Gates thanked team owner Dean Spanos and the Spanos family.

While Gates never won a championship, he was partly responsible for ushering in an exciting era of Chargers football that featured some of the most successful seasons in franchise history. The roars that day for Gates were a reminder of how much Gates meant to a city that had embraced him as their own.

As Gates is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Saturday's enshrinement, many in San Diego