Rod Cate, a former football player at South Stokes, releases second book about overcoming adversity

That’s a date that is never far from author Rod Cate, who is also a lawyer and a South Stokes High School graduate.

It was on that day in a scrimmage with the varsity football team that the 15-year-old’s life changed forever. He was a rising sophomore who aspired to play sports in college, but a tackle where he led with the crown of his helmet resulted in a broken neck.

Since then, however, he’s never said ‘why me’ or complained about what could have been. He’s a successful lawyer in Alabama and has recently written his second book.

“Climb Back Up” profiles about 30 people who have overcome adversity in some fashion. The book stems from his successful podcast he started a couple of years ago, and the time to write the book was now.

“We need uplifting things in this world, and I hope this book sheds some light and gives folks a chance to read about overcoming adversity,” said Cate, 58, who was in King last week for a book signing and to see many of his former high school football teammates.

Cate’s first book in 2018 goes in depth about his life story of overcoming a broken neck, which meant he couldn’t play sports ever again. He came back from three months in the hospital, regained his ability to walk but with a limp and graduated from South Stokes as the valedictorian.

He went to Davidson, then to North Carolina to get his graduate degree and became a lawyer. Maybe his outlook on life is what’s more impressive.

“People ask me how do you come back from such a devastating injury at such a young age?” Cate said. “It’s about moving on to the next thing and to never look back. And that’s what I’ve done.”

He can remember soon after the injury getting signed pictures from Paul “Bear” Bryant, the legendary coach at Alabama, and also one from Johnny Majors, who at the time was the coach at Tennessee.

“Some Wake Forest players also came to see me in the hospital and that was very nice,” said Cate, who moved with his family to King when he was in the seventh grade.

Cate said one of the things that helped him deal with his adversity as a 15-year-old were his friends. One of them is Larry Hartle, who was older, but they have remained friends for years.

Hartle said it’s hard not to think about how much his friend has been an inspiration.

“If ever I’m having a bad day, I’ll call him just to talk and he’s always so positive,” said Hartle, whose son, Josh, was an all-American pitcher at Wake Forest who is playing minor league baseball.

Cate has a story in the latest book about the time the elder Hartle lost his dream job.

“We had three kids and my wife, Susan, and I didn’t have a job,” said Hartle, who worked for Richard Childress Racing as a mechanic but lost his job after a knee injury. “But like a lot of people in Rod’s book, it’s about keeping going and continuing to look for the next thing.”

Another friend, Brett Ray, was on the field that day in 1981 when Cate’s tackle went wrong.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” Ray said. “But you look at that dude now and he’s come so far. I’m just proud to know him and to know what he’s went through in life.”

Jim McGee, another friend who first met Cate when he moved to King in the seventh grade, is convinced that if Cate wouldn’t have gotten hurt, he would have been a major college quarterback.

“I grew up with Rod, playing football, basketball, and baseball and by far he was the best athlete I have ever witnessed in my years of attending junior high and high school games,” McGee said. “He was also one of the smartest as well … When he got injured, it really put a black cloud over the whole county and made us all realize that things can change in a blink of an eye.”

Even though Cate couldn’t play sports anymore, he continued to be friends with all the athletes at South Stokes.

“As much as my life changed, it didn’t as far as relationships, not at all and those guys were still a part of my life even though I couldn’t play anymore,” Cate said.

Cate said he’s thought a lot about what happened when he was so young.

“I don’t think a 15-year-old brain could comprehend what had happened and what was coming up,” Ray said.

Cate’s Rocket Motivation Podcast has been doing very well because his guests on the show have inspiring stories to tell.

He didn’t know if it would turn into a book, but then he started writing the many chapters and it became a reality.

“People ask me if it’s cathartic for me that I’ve written these books, but it really isn’t for that reason with what happened to me,” he said. “I just think it’s important to know that no matter what you have to deal with in life, you can come back from anything.”