The Gatorade Company named Tate Martell of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV as its 2016/17 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.
Martell was surprised with the news by former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George.
“Tate really deserves to be this year’s Gatorade National Football Player of the Year because he embodies everything the award stands for,” said George. “Not only has Tate excelled on the field, but he’s also a stellar student and is a positive influence in the community. I’m excited to follow his career and watch all the things he will accomplish in the future.”
The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.
A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Tate from nearly 1 million high school football players nationwide. Tate is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July 2017.
A two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year winner, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior quarterback led the Gaels to a 15-0 record, the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today Super 25 and an eighth straight Division I state championship this past season. Martell completed 136-of-215 passes for 2,362 yards and 41 touchdowns with just one interception. He also rushed for 1,257 yards and 21 scores. A U.S. Army All-American and a finalist for the Maxwell Football Club’s National High School Player of the Year award, he was 45-0 as a starter for the Gaels and concluded his prep career with 113 touchdown passes.
Martell has maintained a 3.32 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a youth football coach and as a mentor to elementary school students.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86A4K_CAdQk
Photo and video courtesy Gatorade
