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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Cameron Brate is kicking off his second career with UT’s Executive MBA program after nine seasons in the NFL. The celebrated tight end famously caught the Lombardi trophy at the 2021 Super Bowl boat parade, but now Brate is looking to play a new kind of game.

Tell us about your switch from being a Buc to becoming a Spartan.

Toward the end of my time with the Bucs, I started talking to professionals in various industries to try to figure out what’s next for me. I interned at a hedge fund in undergrad and enjoyed that, so I decided to reintroduce myself to a business setting through an MBA. I knew I wanted in-person interactions with students and professors instead of online classes. I met with a counselor at UT, and it became very evident that this was going to be a great option for me.

Not many Harvard football players go to the NFL. What was it like making that jump?

I didn’t really plan on going to the NFL, but it’s a little boy’s dream to be a pro athlete. The Ivy Leagues are definitely not known for football, so it felt like everyone was bigger, stronger and faster in the NFL. I’m a huge football fan, so it was weird going up against all these guys that I’d watched for years. Catching my first touchdown pass in my second year was probably the first time I realized I could be successful at that level.

Are there any takeaways from football that apply to your personal or professional life?

Football is the ultimate team sport — the team is unable to accomplish its objectives without eleven players working together to perform a given play. In order to be successful, a football team needs excellent communication and selflessness from each individual. I try to carry this over to all of my relationships, whether with my family or working on a group project in the EMBA program. 

Do you have any hidden talents?

I started playing piano when I was 4 or 5 years old and played almost every day through high school. My parents signed me up for lessons, and I just never stopped showing up. I'm not as good as I once was, but can still sit down and play for friends if there is a piano around. 

Be honest, did you rehearse catching the Lombardi trophy for the boat parade?

We did not! If I missed the catch, I probably would’ve blamed Tom (Brady). We joked that Scotty Miller, our receiver, would have to swim down and retrieve it. But, of course, it was a perfect pass.