foxsports
Former Abilene Christian basketball coach Willard Tate has died after a long illness. He was 74.
The school said Saturday that Tate died the previous day at his home.
Tate coached the Wildcats from 1973-80. His teams went 119-79 in those seven seasons, giving him the most wins and the third-best winning percentage of any coach in school history.
Tate was the Lone Star Conference coach of the year in 1979-80, going 27-5 and making it to the second round of the NAIA national tournament. He went into the school's hall of fame in 1996.
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Before coming to Abilene Christian, Tate was at Alabama Christian, now called Faulkner University, where he started the athletic program.
Tate is survived by a wife and two children.
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