By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is coming to Kent on Tuesday.

Members of The Hall will be at the North Water Street Brewery at 7 p.m. for a discussion about Kent State University legend Antonio Gates.

Gates, who made his historic mark for the Golden Flashes as a men’s basketball standout to help spark the team’s iconic Elite Eight appearance in 2002, made his mark professionally as a tight end for the San Diego Chargers.

In his 16 NFL seasons, all with the Chargers, Gates (6-foot-4, 255 pounds) had 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns.

His career receptions rank fourth all-time amongst tight ends and his yards total ranks third all-time.

Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees recently told chargers.com what Gates was like during the start of his career, after having not played football since high school when he arrived in San Diego on an undrafted free agent contract.

“He spent the first six weeks of that year figuring out how to put his hand in the dirt and play the tight end position,” Brees told Chargers.com. “There was no doubt he was a raw talent. He knew how to get open, he knew how to box guys out. He knew how to put himself in a position where you had a place to throw the ball.

“But a lot of just the nuances to playing the tight end position — understanding blocking responsibilities, understanding leverage in the run game — those were all things that were totally new, totally foreign,” Brees added.

Tuesday’s discussion will continue the conversation about Gates and his road to the Hall of Fame.

PENNY EDWARDS IN FARGO

Kent Roosevelt rising sophomore Penny Edwards spent last week in Fargo, N.D., competing at the prestigious Fargo National Championship Tournament.

Edwards qualified to be one of the 64 girls wrestlers to represent Ohio at the national event.

ROOSEVELT BOWLING’S AL PETROSINO

Kent Roosevelt bowling head coach Al Petrosino was recently named a board member of the Portage County USBC.

Petrosino’s board position was one of three new members joining the organization on a 13-person board.

AURORA FIXES ALL-WEATHER TRACK

Aurora High School recently completed a project to fix its all-weather track.

Athletic director Paul Powers said that the track had two spots that had sunk, which needed attention to make right.

“They fixed those spots and put new top coat back on the track,” Powers said. “It should, hopefully, be good for another five years.”

SICILIANO NAMES STAFF

Newly hired Rootstown High School boys basketball head coach Joe Siciliano has named part of his staff for the 2025-26 season.

Siciliano will be joined by Tom Jenior, Zach Kauffman and Adam Whitacre.

Siciliano was named the Rovers’ new coach on May 22 after spending many years in the program coaching at the junior varsity and middle school levels.

SWINGING FOR THE FENCES IN WINDHAM

The Windham Youth Baseball and Softball Organization has planned a home run derby fundraiser that will take place at Windham Park’s Jeff Stanley Field on July 26 at 2 p.m.

Multiple age divisions are available and a cash prize will be given to the derby champion.

The cost to enter is $25.

To register or get more information, visit the WYBSO Facebook page.

PORTGE SPORTS FOOTBALL MAGAZINES

The Portage Sports High School Football feature magazine is back to kickoff the 2025 season!

The magazine returns in full color and in its expanded 50-page format.

Preview stories, features, team photos, rosters and more — including a foreword from Hall of Fame Kent Roosevelt head coach John Nemec!

Preorders are open at $5 each!

Secure a copy by emailing tomnader@portagesports.com.

Sponsorship positions are also available.

We are excited for another great season over coverage!