Early years

Tate attended Stephen Decatur High School until his junior year, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. He played football as a running back for the Decatur Seahawks. As a junior, he set the Maryland state single-season rushing record with 2,886 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 221.4 yards per game. His performance earned him first-team All-state honors. As a senior, he transferred to Snow Hill High School, where he ran for 2,069 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 12.9 yards per carry while leading Snow Hill to a state runner-up finish. In 37 career games, Tate rushed 542 times for 5,920 yards and 78 touchdowns, averaging 10.9 yards per carry and 160 yards per game. He also had 210 career receiving yards. Tate also set the Maryland state records for both career yards rushing (5,920) and total career offensive yards (6,123). For his senior performance, he was awarded the Gatorade State Player of the year and was a consensus All-state pick.

Also a standout track & field athlete, Tate competed as a sprinter and was a state-qualifier in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, reaching the Maryland state finals in both events as a freshman while also placing in the top-three as a sophomore. In addition, Tate also recorded a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, had a 32-inch vertical jump and reportedly bench-pressed a maximum of 355 lb (163 kg) and squatted 630 lb (290 kg).

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
5 ft 11 in	220 lb	31¼ in	9 in	4.43 s	1.49 s	2.52 s	4.12 s	6.91 s	40.5 in	10 ft 4 in	26 reps

Tate was drafted in the 2nd round in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Most projected Tate to be picked somewhere in the early to middle of the second round, and recognizing his value at pick 58, the Texans aggressively traded up to draft him. This is the only time in team history that the Texans have drafted a running back earlier than the third round.

Houston Texans

Tate had high expectations to help a Texans running game that was one of the worst in the league the previous season, but during the Texans pre-season opener in 2010, Tate broke his ankle and was placed on injured reserve(IR).

Tate returned healthy for the 2011 season, but was initially placed fourth on the depth chart behind 2010 NFL rushing leader Arian Foster, Derrick Ward, and Steve Slaton. At the conclusion of the preseason, Tate was listed as the opening day backup to Ward due to a hamstring injury to Foster. In his NFL debut, Tate did not disappoint, rushing for 116 yards and his first NFL touchdown on 24 carries. He followed that performance the following week against the Miami Dolphins with another 100-yard game, finishing with 103 yards on 23 carries. He finished the 2011 regular season with 942 rushing yards on 175 attempts (a 5.4 yards-per-carry average, third-highest in the NFL) with 4 rushing touchdowns and 98 total receiving yards in 15 games played, two of which he started (Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, and week 17 against the Tennessee Titans). Tate ran for 115 yards against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 while Arian Foster ran for 124 yards in the same contest, leading the Texans to 261 yards on the ground, a franchise record.

Tate played in 11 games in the 2012 season, amassing 279 rushing yards on 65 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. While his per carry average remained formidable, his carries were limited due to a competitive Houston Texan's backfield along with lingering injuries to his hamstring and foot. It was a frustrating season for the young running back, who had been competing with emerging running back Justin Forsett for backup duties to Arian Foster.

In 2013, Tate appeared in 14 games with the Texans, making 7 starts, after a season-ending injury to Arian Foster. Tate responded by rushing for 771 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of which came in a Week 13 game against the New England Patriots where he rushed for a season-high 102 yards. After having battled cracked ribs for much of the season, Tate was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2013, ending his season.

Cleveland Browns

Ben Tate signed with the Cleveland Browns on March 15, 2014. On October 5, 2014, he ran for a career-high 123 yards on 22 carries in a 29-28 win over Tennessee.

Tate was released by the Browns on November 18, 2014. In the weeks leading up to his release, he grew frustrated with the amount of carries he was getting due to the three-back rotation system the Browns had recently employed, giving Tate, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West fairly even playing time at running back.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings were awarded Tate on waivers after his release from Cleveland. However, after playing only three games, accumulating 38 rushing yards off of 13 attempts, the Vikings released Tate on December 25, 2014.

Pittsburgh Steelers

In the lead up to the 2014 NFL playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Le'Veon Bell to injury. With no experienced running backs, they signed the newly released Tate on December 30, 2014. In the Wild Card loss against the Baltimore Ravens, Tate had five carries for 19 yards.

Statistics

College

Season	Team	Rushing						Receiving					Kickoffs
		GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	KR	Yds	TD	Lng
~2006	AUB	9	54	392	7.3	42	3	2	-3	-1.5	2	0	2	36	0	24
~2007	AUB	13	202	903	4.5	44	8	16	144	9.0	25	0	1	11	0	11
2008	AUB	12	159	664	4.2	49	3	15	90	6.0	27	0	5	139	0	36
~2009	AUB	13	263	1,362	5.2	60	10	20	105	5.3	19	0	0	0	0	0
	Total	47	678	3,321	4.9	60	24	53	336	5.0	27	0	8	186	0	36

~ includes bowl game

Professional

Season	Team	Rushing						Receiving						Fumbles
		GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Tgts	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
~2010	HOU	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2011	HOU	15	175	942	5.4	56	4	13	19	98	7.5	14	0	4	3
2012	HOU	11	65	279	4.3	25	2	11	11	49	4.5	11	0	1	1
2013	HOU	14	181	771	4.3	60	4	34	51	140	4.1	10	0	5	2
2014	CLE	8	106	333	3.1	25	4	9	12	60	6.7	23	0	0	0
2014	MIN	3	13	38	2.1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Total	48	527	2,325	4.4	60	14	67	93	347	5.2	23	0	10	6

~placed on IR in preseason
all stats from espn.com

[ Source: Wikipedia ]