Tate brings unique view to rivalry
On Friday, Sept. 25, Farragut and Bearden will meet on the gridiron for the 68th time in history.
And Jack Tate has been there for every matchup dating back to 1974.
He started as a Bearden Bulldog, attending that ‘74 contest as a BHS ninth-grader before becoming a beloved baseball coach and teacher. Along the way, he began handling sports information duties for the school, having kept statistics for 503 straight Bearden football games through the 2019 season.
But in July 2020, he took on the same position at Farragut, trading maroon for navy in the process. He still is considered a Bearden Bulldog by BHS coach Brad Taylor, but with FHS set to welcome the Dawgs this Friday, Tate said his allegiance is clear.
“I’m all Farragut now and have been since I’ve been here, but I still love the people at Bearden High School,” he said. “I’ll appreciate what both sides are doing and understand the emotions from both sides. It’s just such a huge game, and now that I’m at Farragut, I still understand how both sides approach it.
“It’s something the kids look forward to all year, and it doesn’t matter what the records or region standings are. When Farragut sees Bearden and vice versa, you can’t tell them both teams aren’t 9-0. It’s the game of the year.”
