Chargers Antonio Gates Passes Lance Alworth as Franchise's Leading Receiver

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates became his franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards upon catching a 31-yard pass during the second quarter of Thursday's 35-21 loss to the Denver Broncos, per The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The record-setting reception, which was Gates' third catch of the night, converted a 3rd-and-20 from the Denver 33-yard line to set up a two-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen on the next play.

In addition to helping San Diego tie the game at 7-7, Gates' long gain brought his career total to 9,596 receiving yards, surpassing Hall-of-Famer Lance Alworth's 9,584 atop the all-time franchise list.

Already the franchise leader for receiving touchdowns, Gates caught Nos. 95 and 96 in Thursday's game, scoring from four yards out in the third quarter, and then from 10 yards out in the fourth. He finished the night with five receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his career totals to 751 receptions, 9,610 receiving yards and 96 receiving touchdowns—all franchise records.

Alworth is second in terms of both yardage and touchdowns (81), but his 493 receptions only rank fifth on the franchise list. He recorded a team-record 19.4 yards per catch (min. 100 receptions).

Alworth played for the Chargers from 1962 to 1970, spending the first nine of his 11 NFL seasons in San Diego, before joining the Dallas Cowboys for a quiet two years at the end of his career.

A six-time First-Team All-Pro selection, the 6-0 wide receiver led the AFL in receiving yards in 1965, 1966 and 1968, with those three seasons representing three of the top four campaigns on the Chargers' all-time single-season list. Alworth's 1,602 receiving yards from 1965 still stand as the franchise record, while his 1,383 from 1966 have held onto second place.

Gates, who will one day join Alworth in the Hall of Fame, is shockingly having one of his best seasons at the age of 34. The 12-year veteran already has nine touchdown catches, tied with Broncos tight end Julius Thomas for most in the NFL.

All statistics courtesy of pro-football-reference.com unless specifically noted otherwise.