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
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]
Tate played football for Notre Dame from 2007 to 2009.[10] In the 2007 season as a freshman, Tate started two games, versus the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. He totaled six catches for 131 yards and one touchdown and averaged 21.7 yards on 15 kickoff returns for the season.[11]
In the 2008 season as a sophomore, Tate started in 12 regular season games with 52 catches for 903 yards and seven touchdowns for a 17.4 yard per catch average.[12] Tate registered 100-yard games against Michigan, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh during the 2008 regular season, while being tapped First-team All-Independent by Rivals.com.[13][14][15][16] Against the Hawaii Warriors in the Hawaii Bowl, he made six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the 49–21 victory for the Fighting Irish, bringing his season total to 58 catches for 1,080 yards (18.6 yard average) with 10 touchdowns.[17]
Tate was named the MVP of the Hawaii Bowl.
In 2009, Tate had nine games with at least 100 receiving yards. On September 19, against Michigan State, Tate had 7 receptions for 127 yards and an iconic game-winning touchdown in the closing minutes where he celebrated by jumping into the MSU marching band section in the corner of the endzone. On October 3, against Washington, he had nine receptions for 244 yards.[18] On November 28, against Stanford in his final collegiate game, he had 10 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns.[19] Following the 2009 season, Tate won the Biletnikoff Award.[20] He was also recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.[21] Overall, he finished the season with 93 receptions for 1,496 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.[22]
On December 7, 2009, Tate announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared his eligibility for the 2010 NFL draft.[23]
On April 23, 2010, Tate was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.[27] On July 28, 2010, Tate signed a four-year deal with the Seahawks worth $3.261 million.[28] He made his NFL debut on September 19 and had a 52-yard reception against the Denver Broncos.[29] During his rookie season, he caught 21 passes for 227 receiving yards and returned 16 punts and a kickoff for 212 total combined return yards.[30] The following year, he recorded 35 catches for 382 receiving yards and three touchdowns.[31]
At the beginning of the 2012 NFL season, Tate gained notoriety for being involved in a controversial ending during a game against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, 2012, which became infamous due to the confused ruling by replacement referees.[32] At the end of the game, Tate simultaneously caught a pass in the endzone with Packers safety M. D. Jennings; however, the officials made opposite rulings on the field. The official call was later ruled a touchdown, as according to NFL rules, simultaneous possession goes to the team on offense. The Seahawks won the game 14–12 in what is considered one of the most debated endings in NFL history.[33]
Tate had a breakout year in 2013, improving significantly in all receiving statistics, with 72 receptions for 959 yards, and had an expanded role in returning punts. He was simultaneously an exciting player and a controversial one. During a week 8 game in St. Louis, Tate flashed his middle finger at Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins following a failed interception on the pass, whilst he returned the ball for a touchdown.[34] As a result, he was fined $7,785 by the NFL for excessive taunting.[35] A week later, he was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9.[36] As one of quarterbackRussell Wilson's favorite targets, Tate went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in their 43–8 victory over Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos.[37]
Detroit Lions
Golden Tate with the Lions in 2014
Following the 2013 season, Tate signed a five-year, $31 million contract with the Detroit Lions, which included $13.25 million guaranteed.[38] Alongside All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson, he quickly became a key receiving target for quarterback Matthew Stafford. In his first season with the Lions, he had a then career-high 99 receptions, which was sixth highest in the NFL, and had 1,331 receiving yards, seventh highest in the NFL.[39][40] He was selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl, which marked his first career Pro Bowl appearance,[41] and was later ranked 85th by his fellow league players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 list.[42]
Although Tate did not make the Pro Bowl again with the Lions, his subsequent seasons with them were statistically successful. In 2015 he recorded 90 receptions for 813 yards and six touchdowns.[43] His 2016 season saw him eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second time in his career and the 90-catch mark for the third time in his career,[44] and his 676 yards-after-catch statistic ranked highest among NFL wide receivers that season.[45] He finished the 2017 season with 92 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns, making back-to-back seasons where he had more than 1,000 receiving yards.[46]
After the 2018 season ended, Tate signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract with the New York Giants that included $23 million guaranteed.[51] He was later suspended for the first four games of the upcoming 2019 season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.[52] Tate subsequently appealed the suspension on the grounds that the substance was prescribed fertility medication.[53] The appeal was denied by the NFL and Tate was eventually reinstated on September 30.[54] He finished the 2019 season with 49 receptions for 676 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[55]
On October 4, 2020, following a 17–9 Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, a fight broke out between Tate and his sister's ex-boyfriend Jalen Ramsey due in part to Ramsey's comments against Tate's sister Breanna. Ramsey has two children with Tate's sister.[56] Tate was not fined for his role in the postgame fight.[57] In Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, Tate threw one pass for 18 yards and recorded two catches for 31 yards and a touchdown during the 25–23 loss.[58] After Tate caught the aforementioned touchdown, he yelled "Throw me the ball!" at a camera. After the game, Tate's wife made posts on social media complaining about his lack of involvement in the Giants' offense. Tate also liked a tweet suggesting that the Giants should cut him. Tate was benched by the Giants for their Week 9 game against the Washington Football Team as a result of his actions.[59] He finished the 2020 season with 35 receptions for 388 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[60]
On March 4, 2021, Tate was released by the Giants.[61]
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.[64][65] Tate became the first former NFL player that played in the WCL.[66]
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