Football from Jake Bates' 64-yard UFL field goal on display at Pro Football Hall of Fame
The United Football League (UFL) has made its way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates. On Friday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the UFL ball from the game between the Panthers and the St. Louis Battlehawks is on display in the “Pro Football Today Gallery.” The ball was used when Bates kicked a 64-yard field goal goal lift the team to an 18-16 victory.
64-yard field goals are rare in football. The last NFL player to kick a field goal that long was in 2021 when Justin Tucker tallied a 66-yarder for the Baltimore Ravens to set the NFL record. Before that, Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos kicked a 64-yard field goal in 2013.
More on Jake Bates’ career
Bates, 24, played college football at Texas State (2020-21) and Arkansas (2022) as a kickoff specialist. He went undrafted in 2023 but seems to be doing well in the UFL, making all five of his field goals this year. Along with making a 64-yard field goal, Bates has makes from 62, 55, 52 and 46.
“It doesn’t change too much,” Bates told the Detroit Free Press when asked about becoming a UFL star in an instant. “I’m thankful that this organization gave me a chance and took a shot in the dark on someone with my playing history — a lot of teams didn’t want to. So I think a lot of this season is just I want to show them that I’m thankful for them. They gave me this opportunity to chase a dream.”
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Bates also talked about making the Panthers roster in January after not playing in the NFL last year. “I didn’t know if I was going to be working my job selling bricks or if I was going to be able to play football,” Bates said. “So, yeah it feels good. I feel like I got that sense of relief once we got to training camp. It was like, ‘okay this is happening, I’m with the team,’ and getting the first game out of the way and getting a W feels good.”
The United Football League is in its first season and it’s a merger of the United States Football League (USFL) and the XFL. The Panthers and Battlehawks are two of the eight teams in the league that began its season on March 30. The other six are the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders and San Antonio Brahmas.