BOILING SPRINGS, SC - On Friday morning in front of his football team Boiling Springs head football coach Rick Tate announced he would be retiring at the end of this school year after leading the Bulldogs program for the last nine seasons.
Tate took over the head coaching job of the Bulldogs football program in 2013, after a brief stint as the interim head coach to start the 2009 season filling in for former head coach Bruce Clark, and during that time has led the Bulldogs to some of the most successful seasons in the history of the program including a state championship runner-up finish in 2016. He leaves quite a coaching legacy that started as a volunteer assistant coach in the late 80's under former Bulldogs head coach Andy Jones. In an interview earlier this season Tate talked about how much it has meant to him to be a coach with the Bulldogs program over the years. "It has been an honor for me to even be a coach at Boiling Springs," said Tate. "When I started as a volunteer assistant coach under Coach Jones, him just allowing me the opportunity to put coach in front of my name was an honor. To have played here, grown up here, and now finish my career here is an honor in itself." He finishes his heading coach career with the Bulldogs with a 59-50 record and his 59 wins puts him in second place on the Bulldogs all-time wins list behind only Tom McIntyre, the head coach for fifteen seasons from 1959-1973, who leads all Bulldogs coaches with 80 career wins. In the same interview earlier this season Tate said that his one regret during his time at Boiling Springs was not getting the opportunity to play for the man he sits behind on the all-time wins list. "With everything I've been able to do at Boiling Springs my biggest regret is that I didn't get to play a season for Coach McIntyre," said Tate. "I've heard stories about how great of a coach he was and wish I'd had that opportunity." While Tate will be remembered for his time as the head coach of the football team his dedication to the Bulldogs program has been felt throughout the years as he has spent time as head coach of the boys golf team, girls softball team, and also served as the interim athletic director in 2020 helping navigate the program through the Covid pandemic. Boiling Springs athletic director Evan Moxie said that the search for a new head football coach of the Bulldogs program will begin immediately. Comments are closed.
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