It is with a heavy heart that I deliver the news of Dave Te's passing yesterday. I know some of the "old guys" of BBI would want to know this update so I figured I would share.
He always appreciated the interactions he had with BBI fans each year leading up to the draft. A great source of insights and information, never asking anything in return.
For those who didn't know him I'll provide some background on his story.
Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, growing up as a loyal Giants fan.
His uncle was in the NBA's scouting department when he was very young. He developed a grading system to scout college football prospects (when he was a teenager) which caught the eye of the NFL. He was then brought in to help their internal scouting operations.
He ended up starting his own outside consulting service (Scouting Services, Inc.) which provided in-depth player reports to the NFL and it's franchises for decades. His early iterations were called the Poor Man's Guide to Scouting.
He notably started this business by handing out this guide on the streets of NYC outside of the draft (when it was at Radio City). Later on this catalog of information became known as the NFL Draft Report.
Not very long ago he sold his business to one of the largest sports agencies, CAA. He had been freelancing with various franchises since.
Dave Te was well known for his football acumen on this forum but he also specialized in scouting for baseball, basketball, and hockey.
He was an incredible scout and an even better man. He will be sincerely missed.
I know some BBI users liked to give Dave Te a hard time when he occasionally messed up a name or stat in his later years. My hope is that we can keep this post civilized out of respect for all he did for this community.
Thank you.
What a terrible year this has been, not only for the world, but also for us on BBI. Phil in LA died a few weeks ago, and now Dave Te.
RIP. God bless. Prayers to him and his family.
Wishing his family all the best. May he R.I.P.
RIP Dave
RIP Dave
BBI. RIP
Rip Dave Te
I never went to Radio City on Draft day and later night, but I would have loved to have gotten one of his sheets. I bet it was 200% better than the draft guides out now.
I have known Dave for over 20 years and you could not find a better friend
As some of you might know Dave had been fighting cancer for many years
However he had been in remission and living a robust and active life. He really pushed himself traveling for most of the year.
He loved talking sports and he enjoyed discovering talent and sleepers
Among other things he was the first talent evaluator who used the Hindu theory of sports for comparing players
Dave also did not like to do mock drafts. He was all about the player, the data, analysis, and not the process.
One of the last things that he told me was that Tae Crowder was the steal of the draft and that he would become a starting ILB.
I will miss Dave Te and the long conversations about sports.
RIP Dave. We will miss you.
And yes, 2020 sucks.
I hope he's at peace.
I always enjoyed his contributions to BBI.
Never understood why some reacted badly to him.
He was a gem.
Really enjoyed reading his contributions around draft time. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I also enjoyed my interactions with him, and asking for his opinion on players I was looking to pick up during BBI's annual mock draft.
He will definitely be missed.
2020 has been the worst.
Can't wait for 2020 to be over.
His player scouting reports were almost overwhelming in their detail. I could never figure out why, when he posted his, there were so few comments, BBI seemed to give him short shrift. A pity.
His life's story and achievements, so impressive from where he started, but will be treated as a blip on the horizon. RIP
Many thanks for all the insights and passion shared and RIP Dave Te.
You will definitely be missed.
Godspeed and condelences to his family & friends.
I was going to say this. I know Dave had mentioned how his wife's passing had devastated him. Here here, BamaBlue.
RIP, Dave. You will be missed.
RIP Dave
Dan, I believe his name was Dave Thomas. The Te was for Tight End because that was his position specialty as a scout. So he went by Dave Te.
Peace to his family and friends.
I wish him and his family peace and love.
RIP Dave.
I'm so sorry -
Rest in Peace brother.
2020 can end any day now as far as I'm concerned.
He will be missed. RIP Dave!!! Go Giants!!!
Quote:
He added SO much free information on this site. Is it inappropriate to ask if anyone knows the origin of his unusual name? I apologize if that question is offensive. I always meant to ask him and never did
Dan, I believe his name was Dave Thomas. The Te was for Tight End because that was his position specialty as a scout. So he went by Dave Te.
Thanks Matt! I was always kind of curious.
From an article a decade ago: CSC Interview: Dave-Te' Thomas, Scout - ( New Window )
He can't get a sticky, or even an acknowledgement from the mods, he dared to end one of his posts with something like "vote blue".
If uncledave or anybody else planned on saving this thread or copying it to give to Dave Te's family, you might want to copy it soon.
If I were to explain why, it might hasten the process of it's being deleted.