Stephen Tate was named Interim Head Coach after serving two years as Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator on the Saint Augustine's University (SAU) football team.Â
Before arriving at SAU, Tate was at Fayetteville State from 2017 to 2020. It was Tate who developed then-unheralded Joshua Williams into a fourth-round NFL Draft choice in 2022. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Williams as the 135th overall pick.
As safety and outside linebacker coach, Tate helped direct the Broncos to three consecutive CIAA Southern Division titles and three straight CIAA Title Game appearances. In 2018, the Broncos ranked ninth nationally in third down defense and 13th in the country in first down defense.
In 2017, Elvin De La Rosa was named All-CIAA Defensive Rookie of the Year and joined Barnes-Brown on the All-CIAA Rookie Team under Tate, who was the cornerback coach.
Before entering the CIAAÂ as a coach, Tate was a player personnel recruiting intern at the University of Miami (Fla.) in the summer of 2017 and a defensive back graduate assistant at St. Lawrence University from 2016 to 2017. At St. Lawrence, Tate coached James Holley-Grisham to first-team All-Liberty League honors.
Before entering the coaching profession, Tate was a standout defensive back who signed a contract as an undrafted free agent for the NFL's Washington Commanders in 2008. He played for the late Dennis Green in the United Football League (UFL) for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in 2010 and 2011.
A Clifton, Va., native, Tate is a lifetime member of the NFL Players Association.
On the collegiate level, Tate was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for Division I Hofstra University from 2004 to 2008. He graduated from Hofstra in 2008 with a business administration degree.
As a prep player, Tate was a star cornerback and wide receiver at Centreville (Va.) High School, where he earned All-State honors in the early 2000s.
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