East Lansing, Mich. - Mel Tucker remembered noticing No. 42 racing down the sideline with the ball while scouting a football game in Oxford in September.
He checked the roster, wrote down the name, and handed it to his staff the next day as a player to evaluate.
The player’s name: Tate Myre.
On Nov. 30, Myre was one of four Oxford students tragically killed during a shooting at Oxford High School.
On Wednesday, Tucker and Michigan State honored Myre’s memory by making him an “honorary Spartan Dawg” as part of the 2022 recruiting class.
"We are honored to recognize Tate Myre as the first Spartan Dawg of the 2022 class," Tucker said in a video posted on Wednesday morning. "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. Tate Myre had an unmatched work ethic, athleticism and love for his teammates. He had a passion to one day play for Michigan State. His 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."
During Wednesday’s Signing Day press conference, Tucker said Myre was being evaluated as a recruit by the Spartans this fall, prior to his passing. Myre had taken recruiting visits to Toledo prior to the late November tragedy.
“Tate was actually on our radar,” Tucker said. “I went and saw him play during the bye week. I saw him play West Bloomfield and I said in the end zone with their A.D. and I remember he took off up the sideline and I said, ‘Who the heck is that?’ He ran down the sideline and no one could catch him.
“I wrote the name down and gave it to Saeed (Khalif, MSU’s Directory of Player Personnel).”
Like the rest of the state of Michigan and the nation, Tucker was hurt and disturbed by the news of Myre’s passing.
“I thought it was important to reach out to the family,” Tucker said. “There were things we wanted to do for Tate and the family. We ran it by them and they were okay with it. Today we recognize him as the first signee and that was part of what we wanted to do for him.”