Impact Of A Scholarship: Kenneth Tate
Alyssa Muir, Staff Writer
11/3/2022
A Forestville native and a DeMatha student, Kenny Tate never had any doubts about where he wanted to continue his academic and football career.
“I was always a Maryland fan growing up,” Tate said. “My mom told me one thing, ‘I can pay for high school, but I can’t pay for college.’ I knew I had this talent, I had this gift, it just came down to where I wanted to be. I always wanted to play at home, I’ve always been a big family guy, so it was an easy choice. There was no other place to go that I felt was right.”
With DeMatha right down the road from the university, Tate found himself on campus plenty as a high schooler. His football team even took their team photo in Maryland Stadium every year.
For Tate, a four-star recruit at the time, the opportunity to stay close to home and play in front of his loved ones on Saturday was a no-brainer.
“It was one of those things like, ‘Why would I leave something good here?’ I could just go up the street and get to play in front of everyone who helped me progress as a player and a person and got me to that point in my career.”
Thank you to the donors. I always appreciate the ones who paved the way and made it possible for so many of us to go to Maryland. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without that scholarship and I wouldn’t be able to do the things that I’m doing and be a donor myself now. That’s how a foundation is built, that’s how we keep thriving as an institution.Kenneth Tate
Go Terps, Beat Navy
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) September 6, 2020
An epic goal line stop gave us the dub in Baltimore, 9/6/11. pic.twitter.com/CrG4877aH5
While a Terp, Tate dominated on the field. Though he was recruited as a wideout, he switched to safety before his freshman year and made an immediate impact, appearing in all 13 games and notching his first career interception against Colin Kaepernick and Nevada in the Terps’ 42-35 Humanitarian Bowl victory. As a junior in 2010, Tate was a First-Team All-ACC selection and a Second-Team All-American.
In 2011, even though he converted from safety to STAR linebacker in the offseason, Tate found himself on numerous award watch lists. However, his promising career took a turn in 2011 when he went down with a season-ending knee injury just four games into the year.
Never one to sit around and feel sorry for himself, Tate came back the following year as a redshirt senior and served as a team captain. He even recorded a career-high three sacks against Florida State in his final game at Maryland Stadium.
“Coming back for that last season and being able to play like I did really meant a lot to me,” he said.
I always tell my kids that if you don’t feel like you could be there and not play your sport, don’t go to that college. That’s how it was for me. I knew that if I didn’t play football, I would still want to go to Maryland.Kenneth Tate
Tate has countless fond memories from his time as a Terp. He particularly recalls Maryland’s 51-20 Military Bowl thrashing of East Carolina in Ralph Friedgen’s final game as well as a 20-17 win in 2008 over No. 20 Clemson in Death Valley.
Perhaps even more memorable for Tate, however, were the experiences he had off the field with different Maryland student-athletes.
“I met so many different athletes that had done so much for their own respective sports and that came from all across the country. Just realizing that they’re just like me and we’re all in the same boat, those times with them are some of my fondest memories at Maryland.”
Tate had his freshman year lanyard in possession until last year. To this day, he still owns a T-shirt he got at an annual student-athlete ice cream social that reads, “700 athletes. 27 sports. 1 team.”
“That’s really how it was at Maryland,” Tate said. “We all had our different sports, but we really did work as one unit, one team.”
Tate is still in contact with many former Terps including his freshman-year roommates Cameron Chism and Davin Meggett as well as women’s basketball members Kim Rogers and Marissa Coleman.
After graduating from Maryland, Tate had a short stint with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL before moving on to pursue his true passion: education and the youth.
“I’ve always been into education since I was young,” Tate said. “I always wanted to give back to the youth and the community, especially through sports.”
His fondness for teaching and serving the community deepened even further while he attended Maryland. In College Park, Tate served as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters, an organization he discovered through the football program.
Tate knew he wanted to pursue a full-time career that featured that same level of giving back, so he chose to get involved in the local school system. He became the Assistant Dean of Students at his alma mater DeMatha and, this summer, transitioned to the Athletic Director at Phelps ACE High School in DC. He also served as DeMatha’s wide receiver coach for many years and will hold that title through the end of this current season. Through those positions, Tate has been able to help mold the world’s future leaders, just like he’s always wanted to do.
“I still see (my role) as community service even though it’s a job,” he said. “I just see it as a form of giving back and that’s always been a platform of the student-athlete foundation for me. It’s always been about sharing information and wanting to see the youth do better because they’re the ones who are coming up next.”
Tate also works to ensure that his students get the same value from college that he did at Maryland.
“I always tell my kids that if you don’t feel like you could be there and not play your sport, don’t go to that college,” Tate said. “That’s how it was for me. I knew that if I didn’t play football, I would still want to go to Maryland.”
Still a prideful DMV native, Tate maintains his University of Maryland roots to this day—roots that have helped him far beyond the five years he spent on campus.
“Any time people see University of Maryland on my resume, it always gets a big reaction. Almost everybody has a tie to Maryland in some way, especially in this area. Having that on my resume has been huge for me.”
For that, Tate has a message of appreciation for the ones who helped make it financially possible for him to attend his hometown university and to play football at the highest level.
“Thank you to the donors,” Tate said. “I always appreciate the ones who paved the way and made it possible for so many of us to go to Maryland. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without that scholarship and I wouldn’t be able to do the things that I’m doing and be a donor myself now. That’s how a foundation is built, that’s how we keep thriving as an institution.”
Tate returned to the university just a couple of weeks ago for Maryland’s homecoming game against Northwestern for a day chalk-full of Maryland reunions. It won’t be the last Homecoming Tate attends as he has absolutely no plans to leave the DMV any time soon. Instead, he wants to be a part of continuing to grow the very area that means so much to him.
“It’s home. It’s always been a place where we are unique. It has this different variable where some people are from DC and some are from Maryland, but essentially everybody has that same culture and same experiences. We have our own, really unique vibe. That’s why I always wanted to stay here. I love when people stay here because we’re still progressing and growing.”
