RUSTON, La. - There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to decide what kind of person they are going to become. For some it happens sooner than for others.

For Houston Bates, that time came at the age of 11 when he lost his father, Charles Stuart Bates, to Leukemia after a three-year fight with the disease.

"He was my rock," Houston said. "It was hard for all of us. After my dad passed away we had to take a lot of responsibility because it was just my mom. My two siblings and I told each other that we were going to take care of our mother because she was the only one we had left. You had to grow up fast."

At that time in Houston's life, he was a young boy learning to do anything and everything from his dad in their hometown of Covington, Louisiana.

One of the things his father engrained in him was the joy of hunting and fishing, which Houston still does to this day when he is not busy with football or school.

"He taught me to hunt and fish and now I am an avid outdoorsman," Houston said. "He was actually duck hunting every single time my mom had one of the three kids. He always had to come from hunting to see our births."

A year before his diagnosis, Houston's father brought him to a youth sports association called Bob Morgan Athletics in Baton Rouge where kids learned to play a variety of sports. There, Houston got his first taste of the sport he would come to love - football.

"It was kind of cool," he said. "You just showed up on Saturday and sign a form then practice during the week. Saturdays at 8 a.m. we would show up and there would be these baskets of jerseys with NFL teams like the Detroit Lions, and it was awesome for me."

Houston was still young at the time his father passed. Following his father's death, he quickly had to mature and become one of the men of the house.

He had to take care of his mother, Fran Heaton, who suddenly had to deal with the struggles of being a single parent raising three kids.

"After their father died, my boys became the men of the house," Heaton said. "They did such a good job and made right choices. I never had any trouble with the kids, and Houston was always so very mature for his young age. They all did so well that I was worried for nothing."

Houston excelled at St. Paul's High School, winning numerous awards for academics, leadership and also athletics, as he was named the LHSAA Defensive Player of the Year. His achievements in the classroom and on the field helped Houston fulfill a promise he made to his father that he would play collegiate football one day.

If Houston were to keep his promise, he would not only have to work hard at his craft in football, but also work hard in his studies.

"When he was in high school he excelled so much in grades and he was just so good at football already, so when the scouts started showing up, I knew," Heaton said.

Growing up, Houston's goal was to play for LSU, and he verbally committed to play for the Tigers at one point in high school.

However, it later became clear to Houston that Baton Rouge was not where he needed to be. Instead of signing with the Tigers, Bates decided on Illinois, a place much further away from home.

"I went up there for a visit and just fell in love with it, and I loved everything about the town," he said. "I committed a week later and met a lot of great guys.

"Everyone asks me why I did it, and I tell them that I needed a fresh start and to get away for a little while. My dad definitely taught me to be responsible and respectful, and I didn't know anyone when I went up there. I just knew that I loved the school and the coaches and relied on that."

Houston went on to be an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the media and an Academic All-Big Ten player for the Illini.

After four years in Champagne, Houston had the opportunity to transfer to another school and play right away as a fifth-year graduate senior. His biggest fan, his mother, was relieved and happy when he told her that he wanted to transfer to a school in Louisiana.

"I just wanted the best fit for him, and he felt like Louisiana Tech was the best fit," Heaton said. "I just wanted Houston to keep his options open, and now I am glad he is closer to home."

His dad was an avid football fan and Houston knows he would have loved sitting in the stands cheering him on every game just like his mom has always done.

"She comes to all of my college games and has only missed one when she tore her ACL," Houston said. "She missed the Oklahoma game because she was having surgery on her knee, but all the rest she was out there with crutches and a brace to watch me."

Regardless of the path taken, Houston has never forgotten who helped mold him into the man he is today, something evident each Saturday when he takes the field.

"I play for my dad every Saturday when I put on that helmet," Bates said. "I go out there and play for him, my family and my team. I know he is looking down from Heaven and smiling."

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