Antonio Gates, arguably the best tight end in the NFL, recently made it back into the classroom at Miller Elementary, in Escondido, which is 10 miles north of San Diego. The occasion was an NFL promotion calledTake an NFL Player to School, which gave 34 nationwide winners, chosen randomly out of 70,000 entries, the opportunity to do just that. Talk about the perfect chance to put a variation on the my-dad-could-beat-up-your-dad playground boast...

The event was designed to get kids to stay in school and more involved in after-school programs. A handful of the kids were wearing Charger shirts, and a few had Gates' #85 jersey on. He stayed for 90 minutes, signing autographs, and shaking hands-although, more with the parents and teachers than students! He did high five a lot of the kids, but they were probably just as excited to see the long, black stretch limo as they were to see the 6'5" tight end.

The cutest moment came when the winning child escorted Gates to the classroom while the proud mom snapped photos. During an assemly (which was a great idea, giving the other classes chance to see Gates as well), the Charger talked about the benefits of eduction. "School helps you in life," he told the audience of kids. "We have 100 plays to learn...the mental side of being an athlete is important."

In addition to Gates' appearance, the school was given a $1,000 donation and several autographed footballs to be auctioned, which made it all the cooler that Gates was willing to stand around and sign for all the parents and teachers that kept requesting his signature. And speaking of footballs, he threw a few to the students, in addition to getting them to do some stretching exercises. A fine example of a healthy lifestyle (unlike Jon Kitna, who may have been a bad influence with his "I hate vegetables" statement), Gates noted that said he got to be 6'5" with the statement, "I drank a lot of milk."