A former Patriots tight end is headed to Canton.
No, you haven't missed anything. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2022 on Feb. 10, but Ben Coates, who played nine of his 10 NFL seasons in New England, has been selected to the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Coates is the third former Patriots player to be honored in the Black College Football Hall of Fame, joining Parnell "Paydirt" Dickinson (who played in New England in 1978) and Harold "Double 'O' Soul" Jackson (1978-1981). Founded in 2009, there are nearly 100 honorees in the Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Coates played at Livingstone College from 1987-1990, finishing with 103 catches for 1,268 yards and 18 touchdowns. A five-time Pro Bowl selection with the Patriots, the fifth-round pick played the final season of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won Super Bowl XXXV.
He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2008.
The seven-member class was selected by a committee made up of journalists, commentators, historians and former NFL general managers and executives. A joint induction ceremony and Juneteenth celebration is scheduled for June 18 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
