Nathaniel (Nat) Bates

Nathaniel was a pitcher with the 1952 Indian Head Rockets, an All Black baseball team from the United States and Cuba.

After playing with the 1952 team, Nat returned to the United States where he was drafted into the military and upon finishing in the military, he attended college and worked in the field of probation services for many years in California.  In 1967, he was elected to City Council in Richmond, California spending time; twice as a mayor, also vice Mayor and council member until 2023 when he retired from city council.  Upon retirement, Nat, not only was the oldest elected official in the state of California but in the nation as well.

 Nat has returned to Saskatchewan on 4 occasions.  In 2022 Nat attended as a member of the 1952 Indian Head Rockets team which was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in Battleford.  He travelled to Indian Head and Regina following the Induction.  In 2023 Nat was invited back to Battleford as guest speaker at the 2023 Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and received Honorary Induction. 

In June of 2025, Nat and Willie Reed, the only surviving members of the 1952  Indian Head Rockets attended the 75^th Anniversary of the Indian Head Rockets Team and were honored by the Indian Head Museum.  They also spoke in Regina at the Regina Sports Hall of Fame, met with the Lieutenant Governor, Bernadette McIntyre and the Mayor, Chad Bachynski.

In August of 2025, Nat again attended the 2025 Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame induction to hear Sherman Cottingham a member of the 1963 North Battleford Beavers be the guest speaker and inductee.

During this visit Nat Bates donated a generous amount of funds to the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum which is greatly appreciated by the organization.  Nathaniel Bates kindly contributed to three Museums in the province to which he is connected.  His contribution to these museums enables history to be remembered and shared.