1988 BYU Hall of Fame
Offensive tackle Brad Oates helped BYU break the ice as well as stave off opposing defenders. He led the Cougar effort in the trenches as BYU earned its first postseason bowl appearance in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl.
The 6-7, 250-pound giant from Albany, Georgia, played for BYU from 1973-75 after transferring from Duke University. He was All-Western Athletic Conference and co-captain his last two seasons at BYU, and was named second-team All-American by the Associated Press, the highest honor ever for a BYU football player to that date.
Brad played in the Blue Gray Classic, Coaches All-America Bowl, Senior Bowl, and the All-America Bowl.
He was a third-round draft choice by the St. Louis Cardinals and augmented his off-seasons in the National Football League by attending law school at the University of Baltimore, then transferred to BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School where he graduated in 1982.
Oates had a distinguished and lengthy career in the NFL with the Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (where he and his brother, Bart, won a league championship).
Brad is a member of the NFL Alumni Association, the BYU Management Society, and the Utah State Bar. In 1982 he was awarded the Professional Responsibility Award by the Utah Bar Association.
"BYU taught me more than merely how to play football and be a lawyer," says Brad. "It prepared me for taking hold of the opportunities in life and finding happiness in athletic, spiritual, family, civic and vocational endeavors."
He was president of a savings association in Dallas, Texas, where he also practiced as a corporate attorney and conducted workshops on financial management. He served as a BYU Alumni Association representative in Dallas, a counselor in a bishopric, and a member of his stake's high council.