Lars Jamel Tate (born February 2, 1966 - died August 2, 2022), was a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2nd round of the 1988 NFL Draft.

Tate attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was named Gatorade National High School Offensive Player of the Year as a high school senior. During his senior year, Tate rushed for 1,417 yards on 149 carries for a 9.5 average and 14 TD's in 1983. He rushed for 1,400 yards and scored 23 TD's during his 11th grade year in 1982.

Tate played college football for the University of Georgia and led the team in rushing during the 1986 and 1987 seasons. He still holds many UGA weightlifting records.

His NFL debut for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took place on September 4, 1988, when he rushed for a modest 30 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tate followed that performance with a 106-yard effort against the Detroit Lions. Tate played in three NFL seasons from 1988 to 1990. He led the Buccaneers in rushing during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

His son, Donavan Tate, was drafted 3rd overall in the 2009 MLB draft.

Personal life

Lars Tate died on August 1, 2022. He was 56 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by his partner and three children: Stephan Tate, Lauren Tate and Donovan.

Statistics

Tate's stats with the Georgia Bulldogs

Rushing

Receiving

YEAR

ATT

YDS

AVG

LNG

TD

NO.

YDS

AVG

LNG

TD

1984

114

421

3.7

49

3

3

4

1.3

9

0

1985

105

626

6.0

40

3

2

9

4.5

8

0

1986

188

954

5.1

39

16

22

214

9.7

52

1

1987

208

1,016

4.9

44

14

13

149

11.5

22

0

Totals

615

3,017

4.9

49

36

41

376

9.4

52

1

Tate's stats in the NFL

Rushing

Receiving

YEAR

TEAM

ATT

YDS

AVG

LNG

TD

NO.

YDS

AVG

LNG

TD

1988

TAM

122

467

3.8

47

7

5

23

4.6

9

1

1989

TAM

167

589

3.5

48

8

11

75

6.8

19

1

1990

CHI

3

5

1.7

4

0

0

0

0.0

0

0

Totals

—

292

1,061

3.6

48

15

16

98

6.1

19

2