Mario Bates of Amphi High School stiff-arms a Mesa High School defender during the state championship game on Dec. 7, 1990 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Photo by Rick Wiley / Tucson Citizen

 Rick Wiley / Tucson Citizen

The youngest of the three remarkably talented Bates brothers, Mario set a state record with 2,740 yards as an Amphi senior in 1990. He went on to rush for more than 1,000 yards at ASU in 1994 and become a first-team All-Pac-10 tailback before playing seven NFL seasons.

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Contact sports columnist Greg Hansen at 520-573-4362 or ghansen@tucson.com. On Twitter: @ghansen711