20 Days Till Arizona Football: UA Special Teams Legend/Track Star

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Ari Koslow | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The countdown continues as we are now officially 20 days away from the season opener for Arizona against Hawaii. Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a look back at some of the top players in Arizona football history by jersey number as we inch closer towards the start of the season for the Wildcats.

We continue with former Arizona RB Michael Bates who played with the Wildcats from 1989-90.

Bates was both a football and track star at Amphitheater High School in Tucson. He recorded more than 1,000 rushing yards in each of his last three seasons, including his senior year, where he still ran for 1,557 yards despite being limited to eight games due to an injury.

He also set state records in the 100 meters (10.34 seconds) and 200 meters (20.68 seconds).

Bates came to Arizona on a scholarship to play football. He saw playing time at running back, but his primary role was as a returner in special teams. He totaled 338 kick return yards on 14 attempts in 1989 before running for 729 yards and a touchdown on 31 attempts the next year. He also added 96 yards on two punt returns in 1990.

Bates ran back a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Washington State, which was then the fourth-longest in school history.

The star also came to Arizona to run track. He was voted the Pac-10's Outstanding Male Performer at the conference track championships in 1989 and 1990, where he won both the 100 and 200-meter events. Bates was also a part of the Wildcats' 400-meter relay team, which finished second in the 1989 NCAA Championships.

Bates did not enroll at UA in 1991 as he focused on his track career. He finished third, qualifying for the Olympics in the 1992 US Olympic Trials. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, his time of 20.38 put him 0.37 seconds behind gold medal winner Michael Marsh and 0.25 seconds behind silver medalist Frankie Fredericks to win the bronze medal. He also declared for the NFL Draft in that same year.

The Seahawks selected Bates in the sixth-round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He did not agree to a rookie contract with Seattle, which led to him holding out that year. He eventually signed a deal where he was a backup wide receiver while also playing a role on special teams. Bates set a then-franchise team record with 22 special teams tackles and was later named a Pro Bowl alternate.

Bates was later claimed off waivers by the Panthers in 1995 and was quickly traded to the Browns. He later signed back with Carolina as a free agent. He totaled 42 special teams tackles across his NFL career.

Bates was inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame the following year in 2014.

This article first appeared on Arizona Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: