D'Wayne Bates facts for kids

D'Wayne Lavoris Bates (born December 4, 1975) is a former American football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Bates played for the Chicago Bears from 1999 to 2001. He then played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2002 to 2003.

D'Wayne Bates is well-known for his amazing college football career. He played for Northwestern University. His teams won the Big Ten Championship in 1995 and 1996. He was named First-team All-Big Ten twice. Bates still holds many of Northwestern's records for receiving in a season and career.

After his football career, Bates became involved in education. He was an Assistant Principal for Athletics at Glenbard East High School. He accepted the Athletic Director position for the 2025-2026 school year. This new role is at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Early Life and High School Sports

D'Wayne Bates grew up on a farm in Jackson, South Carolina. He was raised by his single mother. He went to Silver Bluff High School. There, he was a very talented athlete in two sports. He was excellent at both baseball and football.

In baseball, Bates was an outfielder. The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team chose him in the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. In football, he played as an option quarterback. He also played free safety on defense. He was teammates with Corey Chavous, who also became an NFL player.

Bates was named the South Carolina State Player of the Year. Many top college teams wanted him. These included schools from the ACC and SEC. However, he chose to accept a scholarship from Northwestern University. He wanted to leave the South and play football for the Northwestern Wildcats.

College Football Career

D'Wayne Bates had a very successful college football career at Northwestern. He set many records.

Freshman Year: A Strong Start (1995)

When Bates started college, he was a quarterback. But during spring practice, injuries on the team led to a change. He moved to wide receiver to help the team. His first college game was against Notre Dame. Northwestern was expected to lose badly.

In that game, Bates caught a touchdown pass. This helped Northwestern win 17–15, which was a huge upset. Bates continued to play well all season. He helped Northwestern reach the 1996 Rose Bowl. In that big game, he caught seven passes for 145 yards. He finished his freshman year with 49 catches and 889 receiving yards. Both of these were records for a freshman at Northwestern and in the Big Ten conference. He was named second-team All-Big Ten.

Sophomore Year: Big Ten Champion (1996)

In his second year, Bates showed his first season was not a fluke. He had 75 catches, 1,196 receiving yards, and 12 receiving touchdowns. Northwestern won their second Big Ten Championship in a row. His 1,196 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns set new Northwestern team records. After this great season, he was named First-team All-Big Ten.

Junior Year: Injury Setback (1997)

People had high hopes for Bates in his junior year. ..... However, in the very first game against the Oklahoma Sooners, he broke his ankle and fibula. This injury ended his season early.

Senior Year: Record-Breaking Return (1998)

Bates came back strong for his senior year. He had his best season yet, with 83 catches and 1,245 receiving yards. He also scored 9 receiving touchdowns. For the second time, he was named First-team All-Big Ten.

By the end of his college career, Bates had 210 catches and 3,370 receiving yards. These numbers were second all-time among Big Ten receivers at that time. Today, he ranks sixth in career catches and seventh in career receiving yards in the Big Ten. His records for catches and receiving yards at Northwestern still stand. It's even more impressive because he only played three full seasons due to his injury.

Northwestern Football Records

D'Wayne Bates holds several impressive records at Northwestern University:

• Career Receptions: 210
• Career Receptions per game: 5.7
• Receptions by a Freshman: 49
• Career Receiving Yardage: 3,370
• Season Receiving Touchdowns: 12
• Career Receiving Touchdowns: 26
• Games Gaining 100 Yards (season): 5 (he did this twice)
• Games Gaining 100 Yards (career): 15
• Games Catching a Touchdown Pass (season): 10
• Games Catching a Touchdown Pass (career): 20

NFL Career

D'Wayne Bates was drafted into the NFL in 1999.

Chicago Bears (1999–2001)

The Chicago Bears picked Bates in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. He was the 71st player chosen overall. During his three seasons with the Bears, from 1999 to 2001, Bates mainly played on special teams. He also served as a backup wide receiver.

Minnesota Vikings (2002–2003)

In 2002, Bates became a restricted free agent. The Minnesota Vikings offered him a three-year contract. The Bears matched this offer but then waived Bates. This happened after they could not agree on a new contract or trade him. Bates then signed with the Vikings a week later.

The 2002 season was Bates' best in the NFL. He caught 50 passes for 689 yards and scored four touchdowns. This was much more than his previous seasons with the Bears. However, in 2003, his performance decreased. He only caught 15 passes for 151 yards. After that season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was released by the Buccaneers after only one month. Bates then trained and waited for other NFL offers. He officially retired from professional football in 2005.

Life After Football

After retiring from football, D'Wayne Bates started volunteering and coaching at Evanston Township High School. This experience inspired him to become a full-time teacher. He studied online to earn his master's degree. He also spent time observing history and social science classes.

In 2005, Bates was honored by being inducted into the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame. He taught both U.S. and World History at Evanston Township High School. From 2012 to 2014, Bates worked as the athletic director at LaSalle-Peru High School. He later became the Assistant Principal of Athletics at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Illinois. He accepted a new role as Athletic Director for the 2025-2026 school year at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL.