Hired as Pacific's new Defensive Coordinator in March of 2025, Bates arrived from George Fox University, where he was the lead assistant and first coach hired by head coach Chris Casey in starting up their football program (January 2013), after not having football for 50 years. Bates was able to quickly build the defense into one of the top units in the conference. The program boasted their first winning record in 2016 at 6-4, beating Puget Sound, Pacific, and PLU in league, the first times since reinstating football. In fact, GFU hadn't had a winning season for 17 years prior to their dropping of the program in 1968, making the 2016 season their institutions first football winning season in 65 years.
Over the last seven full seasons, the George Fox defense had held their opponents to an average of 19.2 points per game, placing them as the second best in the Northwest Conference over that time. Those years were highlighted with D3 national statistical rankings of:
•4th in Interceptions (2018) 20 interceptions
•10th in Interceptions (2019) 17 interceptions
•12th in Scoring Defense (2017) 12.9 points allowed per game
•18th in Red Zone Defense (2017) .6 efficiency
•20th in Sacks (2022) 31 sacks
•24th in Rushing Defense (2018)
•25th in Team Passing Efficiency Defense (2019)
•28th in Total Defense (2018)
Other Defense Highlights/Awards from 2014-2024
•All-AmericanÂ
d3football.com: 2
•All West Region: 5
•CoSida Academic All-American: 1
•CoSida/CSC Academic All-District: 7Â
•NWC Defensive Player of the Year: 2 (2017/2019)
•NWC Rookie of the Year: 1 (2022)
•NWC 1st Team All-Conference: 19Â
•Finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year (Cliff Harris Award): 2Â
•National Team of the Week (
d3football.com): 8 times
•NWC Players of the Week: 17 times
Prior to Fox, Bates worked with coach Casey at Aloha HS, coordinating the defense while coaching defensive backs for two seasons, helping the team reach the quarterfinals of the OSAA 6A state playoffs.Â
Bates was the Defensive Coordinator at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska from 2004-2010. By year two in Lincoln, their defense had developed into one of the better units in the country, with the following highlights:
•4 All-Americans
•16 All-Conference Performers
•3 COSIDA ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans
•10 Academic All-District VIII players
•2 Players selected as NAIA National Player of the Week
•Three 7 win seasons in a row, first time since 1991
•Coached all-time GPAC interception leader
National NAIA/Div.3 Statistics from 2004-2010
•5 Interceptions for Touchdowns, School Record (2010)
•Recorded at least one shutout for the 5th year in a row, 1st time since 1990. (2010)
•12th National Ranking in Scoring Defense, 18.1 Pts/G (2009)
•10th National Ranking in Total Defense, 282.4 Yds/G (2009)
•2nd National Ranking in Scoring Defense, 11.2 Pts/G (2008)
 9th National Ranking in Total Defense, 217.7 Yds/G (2008)
•9th National Ranking in Scoring Defense, 14.5 Pts/G (2007)
•3 straight shutouts, first time for NWU since 1967 (2007)
•9th National Ranking in Total Defense, 217.7 Yds/G (2006)
During 2002-03, he coached at Western Oregon University as the defensive line coach in the fall and worked in Europe as the defensive coordinator for the Chrysler Vienna Vikings (Austria) in the spring.His time in Vienna was highlighted with the Vikings winning the Austrian National Championship both seasons and playing for the Eurobowl Championship against Braunschweig, Germany in his last year.
A 2000 graduate of Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, Bates remained at his alma mater to begin his coaching career as an assistant in 2000-01, primarily coaching linebackers. In 2001, Whitworth won the Northwest Conference crown and made the NCAA Division III playoffs, the Pirates’ first postseason appearance in 25 years. That year, all three of his starting linebackers were selected 1st Team All Northwest Conference, while Doug Edmonson was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Playing for the Pirates, Bates was a two time all conference player at safety and was selected as team captain for both his Junior and Senior seasons. He completed his master's degree in secondary education from Whitworth in 2006. An Aumsville, OR native Bates graduated from Cascade High School, where he was the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year of the Capital Conference his senior football season.
Bates and his wife Dana, an associate professor in the school of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at Pacific, reside in Carlton, Ore. They have two children, Ryan and Alexandra.
