Michigan State added Tate Myre, the high school football player killed in a school shooting last month, as an honorary member of its 2022 signing class on Wednesday.
Myre was one of four students who died as a result of the Nov. 28 mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. A 15-year-old student has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism causing death.
“We are honored to recognize Tate Myre as the first Spartan Dawg of the 2022 class,” Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker said in a video posted to social media. “A Spartan Dawg is defined, not by the plays they make on the field, but by the character they exemplify, the leadership they bring to their team and their community, and for extraordinary individuals like Tate Myre, their heroism. Tate is, and always will be, a Spartan Dawg.”
Myre, who was a junior, aspired to play college football and had been invited to recruiting visits at Michigan State.
Witnesses said Myre was shot as he ran toward the shooter, and Tucker lauded him as a hero as well as an athlete.
“Tate Myre had an unmatched work ethic, athleticism and love for his teammates,” Tucker added. “He had a passion to one day play for Michigan State. This passion was paired with an unstoppable drive and follow through to get there. Tate’s consistency on and off the football field elevated everyone who knew him.”
The Michigan football team earlier honored Myre by wearing a patch with his No. 42 on their jerseys during the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 4.
–Field Level Media