William L. Tate (born September 9, 1931) is a former American football player and coach.

He served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University from 1964 to 1968, compiling a record of 17–32–1.

Tate played college football as a fullback at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1950 to 1952.

He was the MVP of the 1952 Rose Bowl, rushing for 150 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns as Illinois defeated Stanford, 40–7.

This biographical article relating to a college football coach first appointed in the 1960s is a stub.