WTAW News has learned of the death of Marvin Tate, a member of Texas A&M’s “Junction Boys” football teams who would later be A&M’s athletic director before going into private business and serve as mayor of Bryan.
Tate’s son Tracy notified WTAW News that his father passed away early Thursday morning.
Tracy said “most importantly, Dad had 36 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.”
According to Texas A&M’s athletics website, Marvin Tate played for the Aggies from 1951-1954 and graduated in 1955. Tate returned as associate athletic director in 1967 and served as AD from 1978 until 1981.
Tracy Tate says his father, who played high school football in Abilene, was given a full scholarship after he was recruited by Bear Bryant.
Tracy Tate says his father was working in Houston when another member of the “Junction Boys”, Gene Stallings, was responsible for hiring Marvin Tate as associate athletic director.
Tracy Tate also says his father was athletic director when the third deck was added to Kyle Field.
After entering the private sector, Marvin Tate served as Bryan mayor from 1985-1995. Tracy Tate said his father was instrumental in the city acquiring the former church building at Texas and 29th that is still the city’s municipal building.
Through an open records request to the city of Bryan, WTAW News learned that Marvin Tate is the only individual to hold the title of Mayor Emeritus. And he was Bryan’s second longest serving mayor at ten years and one month. Before becoming mayor, Tate served as a Bryan councilman from 1983-1985. Then he ran unopposed for mayor in 1985 and was re-elected as mayor in 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1993.
Tracy Tate says his father also served for decades on the board of the Brazos Transit District. BTD’s headquarters building in north Bryan is named for Marvin Tate.
Tracy Tate said his father “was in pretty bad physical distress the last couple of weeks, and this morning (December 7) at 12:45 a.m. he went to be with Jesus.”
Funeral arrangements are still being made. Tracy Tate says “at the funeral I expect to hear some fun things about my father.”
Click below to hear Tracy Tate’s remembrance of his father, Marvin Tate.
Additional information from Texas A&M athletics:
Marvin Tate, a three-year (1952-54) Texas A&M football letterman, a Junction Boy and a former mayor for the City of Bryan passed away Thursday, Dec. 7. He was 90 years of age.
Tate was a football and baseball standout at Abilene High School. He was a two-time all-state selection in football and an all-state catcher for the state finalist team. He signed on to play for Texas A&M football head coach Raymond George.
The 1954 fall training camp for Texas A&M football was Tate’s senior season and a new football head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant decided to take the team to Junction, Texas. The players who managed to survive the grueling camp have been forever linked as “Junction Boys”.
Tate graduated from Texas A&M in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Personnel Management. Upon graduation he spent the next 12 years in business in the Houston area working with IBM as well as Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis.
In February of 1967, he came back to Aggieland to serve as an associate athletics director. In October of 1978, Texas A&M President Jarvis Miller tabbed him as interim athletics director and formally named him athletics director in May of 1979. Tate held that title until he stepped away for business interests in September of 1981. During his time in the athletics department, he helped oversee the Kyle Field expansion in 1967 as well as the 1979 expansion to three decks, the construction of the athletic dorm Cain Hall and the baseball stadium Olsen Field.
Tate was a Bryan councilman in 1983 and became mayor of Bryan in April of 1985 and held that position until May of 1995.
He had five children: Marvin II, Gary, Jana, Tracy and Kristin. He considered his greatest gift the 36 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the great-great grandchildren with 20 family members being Texas A&M graduates.
showing (L-R) Dennis Goehring, Billy Pickard, Tracy Tate, and Marvin Tate.