Former University of Kentucky star and NFL veteran Jacob Tamme spoke to a gym full of adults and children at the 38th Annual Steak & Burger Dinner at the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday.
Tamme finished his UK career as the all-time pass catching tight end and second in SEC tight end history, all while being a standout scholar. He earned first-team All-SEC honors as well as SEC Academic Honor Roll for several years in a row. Tamme was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Tamme spent nine seasons in the NFL, playing for the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons. Tamme played in two Super Bowls. He retired from the NFL in 2017.
A very philanthropic individual, Tamme was named to the National Good Works team, the SEC Community Service Team, and to the Frank G. Ham Society of Character. He continues his philanthropic pursuits today by hosting the Swings for Soldiers Classic as well as other endeavors.
In addition to Tamme, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Owensboro Red Devil Cliff Hagan and his wife Martha also attended the dinner.
Both being famous names in UK athletics history, Tamme and Hagan got to meet prior to the dinner and share many memories from their playing days.
During the presentation, Tamme said that while his speech was geared toward kids closer to the high school level, he hoped that people of all ages could take something away from his words.
“We’re all stakeholders in different things,” Tamme said. “Everybody in here is a stakeholder of some sort with a kid. Whether it’s because you’re involved with the club, whether it’s because it’s your son or your daughter, your grandson or granddaughter. So hopefully something from this message can be passed along to whoever you are a stakeholder in, in the life of a kid.”
Tamme’s speech was centered around the emphasis of people keeping a tough mindset and taking their miscues as lessons that can allow them to grow.
“In society nowadays we focus a lot on outcomes and we focus a lot on winning,” Tamme said before he took the stage. “Those are important things, but I want to talk to (the crowd) a little bit tonight about the process of getting there and about competing and failing. I want to talk to them about the fact that if you’re going to give everything you’ve got to something, there’s gonna be times where it doesn’t work out the way that you want.”
He also urged the kids to be a part of teams and to be united with their teammates, as that is what really made the difference in his development throughout his football career.
Tamme was honored for the invite to speak at such a prestigious event that had guests of all ages and from various corners of the community.
“An old friend of mine Bill Fiddler asked me about being involved and I’m really happy to do it,” Tamme said. “I try to do as much of this as I can with groups such as this. I’m very excited to have been asked and it’s really an honor if you look at the speakers list for all the folks that have been down here for this event.”
The funds that were raised from the dinner will be used to provide local educational and recreational activities and programs, as well as the professional staff who serve as positive role models.
