William P. Gates

Enshrined 1989
Born: August 30, 1917
Decatur, AL
Died: December 1, 1999

In the days of cage basketball, William "Pop" Gates was considered one of the nation's finest players. Always a scoring threat, Gates was a complete ballplayer on offense, a defensive specialist, and a strong rebounder. Transitioning directly from a high school championship team at Benjamin Franklin in 1938 to a World Professional Championship with the New York Renaissance in 1939, Gates quickly claimed the title of World Tournament All-Pro, in his second season -- an honor he would later earn a total eight times. As a member of the barnstorming Rens, the team won 68 straight games en route to the World Professional Tournament championship in 1939. Gates played for a handful of teams and helped to integrate the National Basketball League in 1946 as a member of the Buffalo Bisons/Tri-Cities Blackhawks.