PORT ANGELES — Former Pro Bowl wide receiver and Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champion Golden Herman Tate III will patrol the outfield for the Port Angeles Lefties beginning tonight (Tuesday) at Civic Field.
The West Coast League team announced the move to bring Tate aboard for the rest of the season officially Tuesday after dropping some hints about a surprise signing earlier this month.
Tate, 33, played his college football at Notre Dame, winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver, before a successful NFL career with Seattle, Detroit, Philadelphia and the New York Giants.
But Tate, with the same middle name as George Herman “Babe” Ruth, also played baseball, what he describes as his first love, and was drafted out of high school in 2007 by Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tate was a dual threat athlete at Notre Dame. While playing center field for the Fighting Irish in 2008-09, he hit .329 in 55 games, 54 starts as a sophomore and was drafted again by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 before choosing to pursue NFL football.
“I am extremely thankful for the West Coast League and the Port Angeles Lefties for allowing me to join the league,” Tate said in a press release. “Baseball was my first love as a child, I’m excited to get the opportunity to compete against some of the best collegiate players in the country. I look forward to having a lot of fun and exploring baseball more.”
Tate spent 12 seasons in the NFL, his first four with Seattle, including the Seahawks’ 43-8 Super Bowl triumph over Denver. He moved on to Detroit, becoming a top-10 wide receiver in yards and catches in 2014 and making the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2015.
Lefties owner, Matt Acker is thrilled to have an athlete of Tate’s caliber join his team.
“We’re looking forward to having Golden Tate join the Port Angeles Lefties. Having an elite athlete around that has competed on the world’s biggest stage is special,” Acker said. “His passion for the game of baseball, competitiveness, work ethic, humility and desire will be contagious to our players and our opponents. We see this as a unique opportunity for the Port Angeles Lefties, West Coast League and Golden.”
Tickets
First pitch is 6:35 p.m. for Tuesday through Saturday home contests and 1:05 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets for the game and the 2022 season are available at https://tickets.paleftiesbaseball.com or at the gate.
The contest also will be live streamed through Lefties social media.
