Pat Tillman

Armed Forces Personnel

• Born: November 6, 1976
• Birthplace: San Jose, California
• Died: April 22, 2004
• Place of death: near Sperah, Afghanistan

Sport: Football

Early Life

Patrick Daniel Tillman, born on November 6, 1976, was the oldest of three brothers and displayed a strong will and independent spirit at a very early age. Athletic and adventurous, he climbed onto the roof of the family house when he was only five years old. As he became older, his favorite activities included jumping from tree to tree or off bridges and cliffs into pools of water. He was often seen rollerblading around town. He attended Leland High School and played as a catcher for his freshman baseball team. However, because he did not make the varsity team, he quit baseball and instead concentrated on football. Pat set high goals and impressed his coaches with his intellect and abilities. When Pat was a sophomore, the varsity football coach asked some of the players to move up to the varsity team. Pat was the only one to volunteer, displaying his constant drive to improve his skills and reach his goals. Pat had a reputation as an intimidator, and some people were afraid of him, but his teammates admired him and remembered him as determined and kindhearted.

The Road to Excellence

In 1993, during his senior year of high school, Pat led his team to the Central Coast Section Division I Football Championship, received first-team all-sectional honors for defense, and was named Central Coast Section co-player of the year. As a running back, he averaged nearly 11 yards a carry and gained 623 yards, while scoring 14 touchdowns. Receiving, Pat averaged nearly 26 yards on 27 receptions and scored 12 touchdowns. He returned three kicks for touchdowns and, on defense, had 110 tackles, 10 sacks, and 3 interceptions. Despite his talent as a football defenseman, only three Division I-A colleges showed interest in him. Dick Arbuckle, an assistant defensive coach at Arizona State University (ASU), had seen Pat play in high school. Arbuckle realized that Pat was a talented football player and persuaded Arizona State’s head coach, Bruce Snyder, to consider him. Coach Snyder presented Pat with the last scholarship the team had to offer and Pat accepted. Before he left for ASU, however, Pat got into a fight defending a friend bullied by an older man. Pat spent several weeks in a juvenile home after admitting his guilt. This experience affected Pat for the rest of his life.

The Emerging Champion

At ASU, Pat was considered too small to be a linebacker and worked hard to make an impression on his coaches. His efforts earned him a starting position on the team, three selections to the all-Pac-10 Conference team, and the conference’s defensive player of the year award in 1997. His extreme competitiveness made him a favorite with fans, and he was a leader and inspiration to the team. As a student, Pat worked toward a marketing degree; he graduated summa cum laude, in just three and a half years, with a 3.84 grade point average. In the 1998 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected Pat in the seventh round.

Continuing the Story

Pat lost weight and worked especially hard to earn a position his rookie year. Beginning as a special-teams player, Pat exhibited tenacity, aggressiveness, and a unique work ethic, which eventually earned him a starting safety position. In 2000, he set a franchise record with 145 tackles. Pat was pursued by other NFL teams but stayed with the Cardinals because of his sense of loyalty.

Besides football, Pat competed in a marathon and half-Ironman triathlon. He was an avid reader and enjoyed debating with family and friends. The terrorist events in the United States on September 11, 2001, deeply affected Pat and changed the course of his life. On May 4, 2002, he married his high school sweetheart Marie. Returning from his honeymoon two weeks later, he announced that he and his brother Kevin, a minor-league baseball player, were leaving their respective teams. They had decided to help the U.S. effort against terrorism and join the military as Army Rangers. His last professional football game was on January 6, 2002, and he led the team with 18 tackles.

As he had with football, Pat excelled as an infantry trained, airborne Army Ranger. After almost one year of training, both Kevin and Pat were assigned to the Seventy-fifth Regiment, Second Battalion, an elite, special operations unit capable of quickly deploying anywhere in the world. On the night of his death, Pat’s unit was sent to the Khost Province, an especially treacherous area of Afghanistan, rife with terrorist activity. The circumstances of Pat’s death were controversial—he was a victim of “friendly fire,” accidentally killed by a fellow American soldier. Coincidentally, his death came two days before the 2004 NFL draft.

Summary

Pat Tillman touched the lives of most people he met. He was a unique, intelligent, competitive, independent, kind, humble, and strong-willed individual. He is remembered for his work ethic and leadership skills, both on and off the football field. His determination to excel made him a talented professional football player who had a promising career ahead of him at the time of his death. However, his selflessness and moral code made him an American hero. His jersey numbers, 42 with ASU and 40 with the Cardinals, were retired. The Army awarded him the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously. His family and friends have carried on Pat’s legacy by creating the Pat Tillman Foundation, inspiring others to make positive changes in their lives and the world around them.

Bibliography

Rand, Jonathan. Fields of Honor: The Pat Tillman Story. New York: Penguin, 2004.

Tillman, Mary, and Narda Zacchino. Boots on the Ground by Dusk: The Life and Death of Pat Tillman. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, 2008.

Towle, Mike. I’ve Got Things to Do with My Life: Pat Tillman and the Making of an American Hero. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2004.