Did you know how Gates Brown......got his nickname? Gates Brown was another tremendously popular player from the '60s and '70s... The Gater never played on a regular basis, but his knack for coming up with the big pinch-hit made him a huge favorite with Tiger fans. Gator quit high school as a junior and spent two years in the slammer for breaking and entering... it was there that he picked up his nickname... his real name is William... but he learned some valuable lessons: "I'm not proud of the fact that I was in prison, but I am proud that I've come a long way since then." ... and he sure did... Gates Brown set the AL record for pinch hits when he smacked number 76 to break a 40 year old record, set by "Fatty" Fothergil. He took a lot of heat about his weight, but was considered to be one of the fastest men on the Tiger roster. In 1968,the year of the pitcher, the Gator hit .370 and .462 as a pinch hitter... his biggest day occurred against the Red Sox in a Sunday doubleheader when he pinch-homered to win the first game and singled to win the second after trailing 5-2 to start the 9th... one of the biggest moments in Tiger history! ...and he stayed connected to the Tigers for a long time... Gates Brown served as the team's hitting coach from 1979 through the World Series of 1984, one of the few Bengals to spend his entire career in Detroit and acquire two rings!
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