Wide receiver Golden Tate has been nothing short of a superstar in his first season with the Detroit Lions.
Tate has put up career receiving numbers in his fifth year in the NFL. Averaging 13.4 yards per catch this season, totaling 1,331 yards and four touchdowns on 99 catches. He was a major factor for Detroit when Calvin Johnson went down with an ankle injury in Week 5.
There's a lot more to Golden Tate than what most Lions fans know.
Golden H. Tate III was raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee. His father, Golden Tate Jr. was a former wide receiver at Tennessee State who was the 120th pick in the 1984 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. His brother, Wesley, was a running back for Vanderbilt University.
GTIII 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 TD and was the Knights' punter. He was named as a Tennessee Division II first-team all-state pick in 2006.
After he injured his thumb his senior season and couldn't play baseball, Tate switched to track & 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 x 100m relay squad that captured the state title with a time of 42.86 seconds
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. 1518 overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
Tate has not competed in baseball since 2009, his sophomore season with Notre Dame.
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.
On April 23, 2010, Tate was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
In his four years with Seattle, Tate caught 165 passes for 2,195 yards and 13 touchdowns. Also a total of 787 punt return yards and 4 touchdowns.
On March 12, 2014, Tate signed a five-year, $31 million contract with the Detroit Lions.
Tate is a huge addition to the team, adding to the threats on offense that Matthew Stafford can throw to. Tate and Calvin Johnson are one of most explosive receiving duos in the NFL.
Lions fans are looking forward to seeing more of their young receiver in the coming years.