John Tate is a Kosciusko native and was a member of the Kosciusko High School football team, graduating in 2018. While playing for the Whippets, Tate was coached by Tyler Peterson, the Arrows' offensive line coach. Tate was a first-team, all-state selection and was awarded the player of the game award twice.
After Kosciusko, Tate signed a football scholarship with the Hinds Community College Eagles where he would long snaps for two seasons. In 2019, Tate and the Eagles completed an outstanding 7-2 season. The Hinds squad finished runners-up to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in the Mississippi Association of Community College Conference (MACCC) Championship Game. The team received a bowl berth in the Graphic Edge Bowl, playing Iowa Western Community College in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Following his two years in Raymond, Tate moved on to long snap at Delta State University and helped the Statesmen compile a 5-6 overall record in 2021. It was then that Tate determined he was ready for his coaching career to start in 2021.
"I have always loved the game, and I had picked a degree in the medical field, but after one semester, I realized I wanted to stay in football for the rest of my life," Tate said. "I felt that coaching would be the way to go.
"Connecting with a group of kids, to do what I can to see their growth on and off the field," Tate added about his coaching why. "It's not just the wins. My biggest thing as a coach is allowing players the opportunity to live out their dreams on the football field."
Tate's previous stop was a coaching stint at Puckett High School. In addition to interscholastic football, Tate has worked as a private trainer for several football players who are long snappers on the collegiate level.
Now at Clinton, Tate's responsibilities task him to the junior high teams. Tate will help the Arrows start up their 7th-grade football program and assist the 8th-grade team. Tate believes that an emphasis on the junior-high level will help the Arrows tremendously.
"The younger players can more easily emphasize the fundamentals and build the base for the next levels," Tate said. "Teaching the players to know fundamentals on the practice field and game field ... I know it is going to help them down the road.
"(Clinton's players) work really hard," Tate added about his initial impression of the Arrows. "They are one of the hardest working groups of kids I have seen, and they are extremely respectful to coaching."
