Brandon Tate facts for kids
Brandon Tate, born on October 5, 1987, is a former American football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). The New England Patriots picked him in the 2009 NFL draft. Before that, he played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Tate with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 5, 1987 Burlington, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Cummings (Burlington, North Carolina) |
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| College: | North Carolina (2005–2008) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2009 / Round: 3 / Pick: 83 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Brandon Tate grew up in Burlington, North Carolina. He went to Hugh M. Cummings High School. There, he was a star athlete in both football and basketball.
In football, he played as a wide receiver, kick returner, and defensive back. During his senior year in 2004, he caught 66 passes and scored 18 touchdowns. This earned him "All-Conference" honors. He was also a talented basketball player. He helped his team win a state championship in his junior year.
Brandon's brother, Barry, also played college football. He played for Lenoir-Rhyne University for four years.
College Football Career
After high school, Tate went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the Tar Heels football team.
Freshman Year (2005)
As a freshman, Tate played in all eleven games. He was mainly a kick returner. In a game against the Utah Utes, he returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. He finished the season with 542 yards from kick returns. He also had 267 yards from punt returns. He was one of the best returners in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Sophomore Year (2006)
In his second year, Tate became one of only three players in the country to return two kickoffs for touchdowns. He caught his first pass from Cameron Sexton for 13 yards. This happened just before halftime against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Against Notre Dame, Tate returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. He faked a pass to a teammate and then ran all the way to the end zone. In the last game of the season against Duke, he had an amazing performance. He returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. This was one of the longest returns in North Carolina's history. Later in the same game, he returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown. Tate became only the third player in North Carolina history to score touchdowns from both a kickoff and a punt return in one game.
Junior Year (2007)
Tate scored his first career touchdown catch in the opening game against James Madison. It was a 28-yard pass. Against East Carolina, he returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. This was his fifth career return touchdown, tying a school record.
In a game against NC State, Tate had 168 total yards. He caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from a trick play. He also had over 200 total yards in games against Wake Forest and Miami. Against Miami, he scored a 54-yard rushing touchdown.
Tate set new records in the ACC during his junior season. He had the most all-purpose yards (2,382 yards) and the most kickoff returns (98). He led the ACC with 1,765 all-purpose yards. He also led his team with seven touchdowns. He caught 25 passes for 479 yards, averaging 19.2 yards per catch.
Senior Year (2008)
In his senior year, Tate had a huge game against McNeese State. He returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He also rushed for 54 yards, almost scoring another touchdown. In the third quarter, he caught a 57-yard pass from T. J. Yates for a touchdown.
Tate rushed for 106 yards in that game. He became the first wide receiver at North Carolina to rush for over 100 yards. He set a school record with 397 all-purpose yards in one game. He also set a school record for the highest punt return average.
Against Miami, Tate set an NCAA record for the most combined kickoff and punt return yards in a career. He ended his college career with 3,523 total return yards. Sadly, he tore ligaments in his knee in a game against Notre Dame. This injury made him miss the last seven games of his senior season.
Professional Football Career
Brandon Tate was chosen by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He signed a four-year contract with them.
New England Patriots (2009–2010)
Tate missed the start of his first NFL season in 2009. He was still recovering from his knee injury from college. He played in two games but then got another knee injury. This ended his season early.
In 2010, Tate had a great season. In the first game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he returned the opening kickoff of the second half 97 yards for a touchdown. A few weeks later, he did it again against the Miami Dolphins, this time for 103 yards. He also scored his first touchdown catch, a 65-yard play against the Minnesota Vikings.
Tate played in all 16 games that season. He caught 24 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 41 kick returns for 1,057 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots released him in September 2011.
Cincinnati Bengals (2011–2015)
The Cincinnati Bengals quickly signed Tate in September 2011. In October, he returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks. This was his first touchdown with the Bengals.
He re-signed with the Bengals in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, he caught his first receiving touchdown as a Bengal. It was a 44-yard pass from Andy Dalton. In 2016, Tate became the Bengals' all-time leader in punt return yards. He was released by the Bengals in August 2016. He left as the team's all-time leader in combined kick and punt return yards with 4,928 yards.
Buffalo Bills (2016–2017)
Tate signed with the Buffalo Bills in September 2016. He re-signed with them in March 2017.
New Orleans Saints (2018)
In July 2018, Tate signed with the New Orleans Saints. He was released before the season started but was re-signed briefly in September. He was released again a few days later.
Images for kids
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Tate during a game with North Carolina in 2008.
