Bart Oates
Center #50
Ht/Wt
6'
4"
|
242 lbs.
Class
Senior
Hometown
Albany, 
Georgia
Last School
Albany High School
Roster Years
1977 | 1980-1982


Personal

  • Served an LDS church mission to Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Married Michelle Ivans in June 1981
  • B.S. in accounting from BYU in 1983
  • Received his law degree from Seton Hall University in 1990
  • Brother Brad was an All-American for BYU in 1975 and played with several pro teams
  • Brother Barry played four years for BYU

Career Highlights

  • All-America Second Team by Associated Press and NEA 1982
  • All-Western Athletic Conference and District Seven Academic All-America 1982
  • Won the Cougar Club's Memorial Scholarship Award as a junior
  • Honorable mention All-Western Athletic Conference and Academic All-WAC 1980-81
  • Two-time Academic All-WAC

Before BYU

  • Member of Honor Club for Albany High
  • Captain of the all-city team
  • Coached by Cardon Dailey (Southern Utah State College)
  • Intercepted a Buck Belue pass and returned it for a touchdown in a losing game for Albany

After BYU

  • Joined his brother Brad in the fledgling United States Football League
  • Played for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 

Post BYU Honors and Societies

  • Won USFL championships in 1983 and 1984
  • Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1992

Mission

  • Las Vegas , Nevada
1992 BYU Hall of Fame

1992 BYU Hall of Fame

There has been no offseason for football center Bart Oates in any sense of the word.

For one, in each football season Bart has played, he has not had a bad performance. And when football seasons have been complete, he has either taken classes in law school or worked as an attorney for the firm of Ribis, Graham & Curtin in Morristown, New Jersey.

The 6-3, 265-pound middle brother from Albany, Georgia, followed his All-America sibling, Brad, to BYU and was in turn followed by their younger brother, Barry.

Bart had a long and distinguished career with the New York Giants, helping them to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991. He was named to the All-Pro Team in 1990 and 1991 and played in the Pro Bowl in 1990. He also started over 125 consecutive games for the Giants, which marks him as an iron man in club history.

After signing with the Giants in 1985 as a free agent, he was a unanimous choice for the National Football League's All-Rookie Team.

Bart came to BYU in 1977, served an LDS mission to Las Vegas, Nevada, and returned to star for the Cougars. When Clay Brown was scrambling to make his miracle catch in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, it was Bart who was protecting Jim McMahon.

Bart missed five games as a junior because of a broken ankle, but he returned in good form to lead BYU to another Holiday Bowl victory in 1981 over Washington State.

As a BYU senior, he was second-team All-America behind two-time Outland Trophy winner Dave Rimington of Nebraska. It comes as no surprise that he was voted to the WAC All-Decade Team in the 1980s.

Bart played in the Blue-Gray Bowl, the East-West Shrine Game, and the Senior Bowl. Then he joined his brother Brad in the fledgling United States Football League. He played for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and won USFL championships in 1983 and 1984.

Two-time Academic All-WAC; Bart won the Cougar Club's Memorial Scholarship Award as a junior. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from BYU in 1983 and began law school here as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar. He received his law degree from Seton Hall University in 1990.

Freshman Year 1977

  • Played with jayvee team
Sophmore Year 1980

  • Started with the varsity
  • Suffered a concussion during the North Texas State game
  • Honorable mention All-Western Athletic Conference and Academic All-WAC
  • Four times selected as coaches player of the game
Junior Year 1981

  • Honorable mention All-Western Athletic Conference and Academic All-WAC
  • Three times selected as player of the game by the coaches on the offensive line
  • Broke his ankle in the Colorado game and missed the next five games
Senior Year 1982

  • All-America Second Team by Associated Press and NEA
  • All-Western Athletic Conference and District Seven Academic All-America
  • Selected to play in the Blue-Grey Classic, the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl
Graduate Year

Redshirt Year

Medical Redshirt Year