Golden Tate
Golden Herman Tate III (born August 2, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2009. Tate was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He later played for the Detroit Lions, with whom he made a Pro Bowl appearance. He also played a season for the Philadelphia Eagles and two seasons for the New York Giants. After his football career, Tate played baseball as a center fielder for the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League (WCL) in 2022 after not playing the sport since 2009.
No. 81, 15, 19
August 2, 1988
Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S.
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
191 lb (87 kg)
Pope John Paul II
(Hendersonville,
Tennessee)
Notre Dame (2007–2009)
2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60
695
695
8,278
11.9
46
Early years[edit]
Born in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Golden Tate attended Pope John Paul II High School, where he played as a three-sport athlete, competing in football, baseball, and track & field.[1] In his high school senior year of 2006, he rushed 140 times for 1,413 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 510 yards and six receiving touchdowns. He also had three interceptions on defense, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and was the team punter. He was named as a Tennessee Division II first-team all-state pick in 2006 as an athlete by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and also by the Tennessee Football Coaches Association. His jersey was later retired by Pope John Paul II High School.[2] One of Tate's friends from high school is racing driver Josef Newgarden.[3]
After he injured his thumb in his senior season and could not play baseball, Tate switched to track and field and posted the state's top qualifying times in the 100-meter dash (10.93 s) and 200-meter dash (22.33 s). He was also a member of the John Paul 4 × 100 m relay squad that captured the state title with a time of 42.86 seconds.[4]
Baseball career[edit]
Tate was drafted out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round of the 2007 amateur draft.[5] Tate did not sign with the Diamondbacks and instead played baseball for the University of Notre Dame. In 2008, Tate's freshman year at Notre Dame, he played in 18 games and batted .262 with three doubles and three stolen bases. Tate hit his first home run against Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in his sophomore year. He finished his sophomore season with a .329 batting average after playing in 55 games.[5] Tate also scored 45 runs his sophomore year which is the third highest by any Notre Dame baseball player.[6]
On June 9, 2010, Tate was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round (1,518th overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft, but did not sign.[7]
On June 14, 2022, Tate signed with the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League as a center fielder. He started at center field that night.[8][9]
Professional baseball career[edit]
On June 14, 2022, Tate announced that he had signed with the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League (WCL) for the rest of the 2022 season.[63][64] Tate became the first former NFL player that played in the WCL.[65]
Personal life[edit]
He is the son of Golden Tate Jr., a former wide receiver at Tennessee State who was the 120th overall pick in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts.[66] His younger brother, Wesley Tate, was a running back for Vanderbilt University.[67] His younger twin sisters Breanna[68] and Deanna Tate[69] were both sprinters while at The University of Mississippi. Tate has two nieces through his sister Breanna and NFL cornerback Jalen Ramsey.[70]
In March 2017, Tate married Elise Pollard.[71] They have three children. London, Golden and Isaiah.[72]
Golden Tate appeared in episode 8 of the seventh season of the TV show The League, playing as himself.[73]