Former Georgia Bulldogs superstar Lars Tate passed away at 56 years old at his St. Petersburg, Florida home on Tuesday.
His cause of death has not been confirmed, but he was diagnosed with cancer last month and was in “rapidly failing heath,” per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tate was one of the original members of the Georgia backfield that earned the program its nickname “Running Back University.” Alongside Rodney Hampton, Keith Henderson and Tim Worley — aka the “Four Horsemen” — Tate led the Bulldogs in rushing in 1986 and 1987.
The football world took Twitter to react to this devastating news.
“I was so sad to hear about the passing of Lars Tate. He was one of my favorite players growing up, and I can still remember how excited I was when I got to meet him. He’s gone too soon, but he’ll live forever in many of our minds,” one fan wrote.
“Rest In Peace to a DGD! Prayers out to Lars Tate family! 32 days until kickoff and no.32 makes his way to heaven!” another added.
“RIP Lars Tate. Taken from us way too early,” another added.
Tate finished his collegiate career with 36 rushing touchdowns, still tied with Todd Gurley for third all-time in program history. His 3,017 career rushing yards still stand at sixth all time.
Our thoughts are with the Tate family and all those close to him during this difficult time.
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