DETROIT – Football fans are in for a special treat during the Michigan Panthers regular season finale at Ford Field. The United Football League team announced that the first 2,000 fans in attendance for the Panthers’ home finale against the Houston Roughnecks on May 31 will receive a limited-edition bobblehead of former Panthers kicker Jake Bates. Bates, against all odds, is now the starting kicker for the Lions, but he is still celebrated by the UFL team where he was noticed by the Lions. This past year, Bates set the Lions single-season franchise record for points scored with 142, making 26-of-29 (89.6 percent) field goals to go with 64-of-67 extra points. RELATED: Why Michigan Panthers earned right to host USFL Championship, but won’t His NFL turn came after he made a 64-yard, game-winning field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks last spring. During the 2024 UFL season, he was dependable from deep, converting 7-of-11 from 50+ yards and 3-of-4 from 60+ yards. Bates finished the season 17-of-22, and his longest of 64 was the longest field goal in the league. He earned All-UFL honors following the season for his kicking efforts. Bates was previously a collegiate soccer player at Central Arkansas before taking the leap to college football, making stops at Texas State and Arkansas as their kickoff specialist.