Golden Tate

Early years

Tate was born in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He attended Pope John Paul II High School, where he played football, baseball and ran track. He rushed 140 times for 1,413 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior in 2006 to go along with 28 receptions for 510 yards and six touchdowns. He also had three interceptions on defense, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and was the Knights' 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.

After he injured his thumb 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.

Baseball career

Tate was drafted out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round of the 2007 amateur draft. Tate did not sign with the Diamondbacks and instead played baseball for the University of Notre Dame. In Tate's freshman year at Notre Dame (2008), 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. Tate also scored 45 runs his sophomore year which is the third highest by any Notre Dame baseball player.

On June 9, 2010, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round (no. 1,518 overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft, but did not sign.

Tate has not competed in baseball since 2009, his sophomore season with Notre Dame.

College football career

Tate played football for Notre Dame from 2007 to 2009. 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.

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. 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. 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 Irish, bringing his season total to 58 catches for 1,080 yards (18.6 yard average) with 10 touchdowns.

Following the 2009 season, Tate won the Biletnikoff Award. He was also recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

On December 7, 2009, Tate announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared his eligibility for the 2010 NFL Draft.

2010–2011

On April 23, 2010, Tate was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. On July 28, 2010, Tate signed a four-year deal with the Seahawks worth $3.261 million. During his rookie season in 2010, Tate caught 21 passes for 227 receiving yards. He also returned 16 punts and 1 kickoff for 212 total combined return yards.

In 2011, Tate made 35 catches for 382 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.

2012 season

On August 24 during a week 3 pre-season game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Tate returned one punt 92 yards for a touchdown as the Seahawks won the exhibition game 44-14.

During the replacement referee controversy at the beginning of the 2012 NFL season, the Seahawks won a controversial game against Green Bay in Week 3, in which Tate simultaneously caught a pass in the endzone with Packers' safety M. D. Jennings. According to NFL rules, simultaneous possession goes to the offense. In week 10 against the New York Jets, Tate recorded his first passing touchdown to Sidney Rice on a receiver reverse pass. In 15 games Tate made 45 receptions for 688 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He also made 51 punt returns along with 3 kickoff returns for 642 total combined return yards.

2013 season

Tate had a breakout season with the Seahawks in 2013. In addition to improving all of his receiving stats, Tate expanded his role by taking punt-receiving duties. He made some spectacular plays, notably a one-handed catch against the Atlanta Falcons as well as a crucial 71-yard punt return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that highlighted his athleticism and special abilities. Pete Carroll, the Seahawks coach, said that he would not coach anyone else to do what Tate can do. During Week 7 against the St. Louis Rams, Tate was flagged for taunting following an 80-yard touchdown reception. Carroll chastised Tate after the penalty. On November 2, 2013, Tate was fined $7,875 for his taunting penalty. In the final game of the regular season, Tate produced one of his best games of the year, recording eight catches for 129 yards and a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams. Again, Russell Wilson threw a deep pass of 47 yards to Tate who caught the ball, and ran it for a touchdown similar to Week 7, minus the taunt, as the Seattle Seahawks beat the St. Louis Rams 27-9. Tate went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos as a member of the Seahawks.

2014 season

On March 12, 2014, Tate signed a five-year, $31 million contract with the Detroit Lions. The deal included $13.25 million guaranteed. He set a career-high in receptions with 99, sixth highest in the NFL, and receiving yards with 1,331, seventh highest in the NFL. On January 19, 2015, Tate was selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl, his first Pro Bowl appearance.

2015 season

Tate and the Lions struggled in the first half of the season but gained momentum in the second half. Tate scored two touchdowns each in week 14 and 15, against the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints, to bring his season touchdown total to six.

2016 season

In a Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions stormed back with 23 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 16-16. On the first drive of overtime, Detroit marched down the field into field goal range. On 3rd down and long, Stafford threw a pass to Tate. He "flipped in" for the touchdown to give the Lions a 22-16 comeback win in overtime against the Vikings. Tate finished 2016 with 91 receptions for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career and the 90-reception mark for the third time in his career. Tate's 676 yards after the catch ranked No. 1 among NFL wide receivers that season.

Personal life

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. His brother, Wesley, was a running back for Vanderbilt University. In March 2017, Tate married his girlfriend Elise Pollard.