| Charles Bates | |
| Player Team1: | Alabama A&M |
| Player Years2: | 1957–1958 |
| Player Team2: | Fort Meade |
| Coach Years1: | 1963–1965 |
| Coach Team1: | Kentucky State (defensive coach) |
| Coach Years2: | 1966 |
| Coach Team2: | Southern (defensive coach) |
| Coach Years3: | 1967–1969 |
| Coach Team3: | Kentucky State |
| Coach Years4: | 1972–1977 |
| Coach Team4: | Southern |
| Overall Record: | 43–42–3 |
| Bowl Record: | 1–0 |
Charles Adams Bates (born) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kentucky State University from 1967 to 1969 and Southern University from 1972 to 1977.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Bates played college football at Alabama A&M College—now known as Alabama A&M University—and then in 1957 and 1958 with the Fort Meade football team while serving in the United States Army.[1] He signed with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as a rookie in 1959.[2]
Bates began his coaching career at the high school level, at West Highland in Fayette, Alabama and Westfield in Birmingham.[1] He spent three seasons as a defensive assistant coach at Kentucky State University before being hired in the same capacity at Southern University in 1966.[3] After a year at Southern, Bates returned to Kentucky State at head football coach.[4]
In 1972, Bates succeeded Alva Tabor as Southern University's head football coach.[5] After a 2–7–1 start to his career at Southern in 1982, Bates and the Jaguars posted two eight-win seasons (1974, 1976) and a nine win-season in 1975 in which Southern captured a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title and won the Pelican Bowl over South Carolina State.[6] After a rough 3–3–1 start to the 1977 season, Bates stepped down mid-season, and Ken Tillage took over coaching duties for the rest of the season.[7]