Georgia Bulldogs NFL Draft bust No. 9: Lars Tate
1988 NFL Draft, Round 2, Pick 53
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1988-1989
Chicago Bears, 1990
Lars Tate was yet another in a succession of great running backs coming out of Georgia in the 1980s, but unlike Herschel Walker and Rodney Hampton who preceded and succeeded him at UGA, Tate didn’t quite find his groove at the professional level.
Taken by the struggling Buccaneers, Tate was looked at as a possible bell cow to help build the Tampa Bay offense around and to provide a potent running attack. That plan was short-lived.
Despite two good seasons with Tampa Bay, the team released him after the 1989 season with probably off-field and health issues coming into play. Tate obviously had the ability to do what was needed on the field but wasn’t able to sustain his career.
Sadly, Lars Tate died of cancer in 2022, just one month after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He was set to have chemotherapy treatments but died before he was able to begin them.