About Inductee

Stuart Tate was born in Madison County and completed his high school career at Hazel Green High School in 1980. Stuart first caught the eye of the baseball scouts when he pitched a no-hitter his junior year at Hazel Green and went on to win eight games. During his senior year, Stuart not only led the county in pitching but he hit .412 and led the county in that category. Stuart signed with Calhoun Junior College after high school and had a record of 11 wins and four losses. After Calhoun, Stuart signed a baseball scholarship with Paul Nix at Auburn University. Stuart had the distinction of being on the mound and recording Coach Nixs 600th win at Auburn. On June 5, 1984, Stuarts dream of being drafted by a professional baseball team came true. He got the call from a scout of the San Francisco Giants at 3:30 in the afternoon and was told that he had been drafted by the Giants in the eighth round as a relief pitcher. The Giants assigned him to their Class A team in Everett, Washington instead of to a rookie league team. It was a big relief when I found out Id been drafted, said Tate. Stuart played in 54 games in the minor league from 1985 through 1989. In 1989, Stuart had worked his way up to the Phoenix Firebirds, which was the AAA team for the Giants. During the summer of 1989, he was chosen to play in the AAA All-Star game in Columbus, Ohio. Stuart was called up to the Giants and made his Major League Debut on September 20, 1989. In his debut, he faced eight hitters and gave up no hits. When asked about who had the greatest influence on his athletic career, Stuart said, Initially it would fall upon my Dad who spent countless hours in our backyard playing catch so I could keep my arm stretched out and strengthened. Secondly, Marty Demerritt was my pitching coach for five of the seven years I played for the Giants. I had always been a thrower but he taught me how to pitch. Lastly, and most importantly, is my wife Kristin. Without her love, devotion and willingness to travel all over the country, I would have never been able to accomplish the things I did.