April 23, 2004
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN
Associated Press Writer
Submit Your Thoughts, Prayers and Remembrances Here
ASU Mourns Fallen Solider, Former Sun Devil | Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON - Pat Tillman, who walked away from his professional
football career to join the Army Rangers, was killed in Afghanistan, U.S.
officials said Friday.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a formal
announcement was expected later in the day. Spokesmen at the Pentagon and U.S.
Army declined comment.
There were no immediate details how Tillman died. He was 27.
A military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that
a soldier had been killed in action in Afghanistan Thursday, but could not
confirm that the soldier was Tillman.
Some members of the Army's elite Ranger units were taking part in the hunt
for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in southeastern Afghanistan, the military
official said.
Tillman played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before enlisting in
the Army in May 2002. The safety turned down a three-year, $3.6 million deal
from Arizona.
He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife,
Marie.
Tillman's brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the
Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the
Middle East. They committed to three-year stints in the Army.
Tillman's agent, Frank Bauer, has called him a deep and clear thinker who
has never valued material things.
In 2001, Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the
Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and by
joining the Army, he passed on millions more from the team.
Tillman turned aside interview requests after joining the Army. In December,
during a trip home, he made a surprise visit to his Cardinal teammates.
"For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his
brother and Marie, for what they did and the sacrifices they made ... believe
me, if you have a chance to sit down and talk with them, that respect and that
love and admiration increase tenfold," Coach Dave McGinnis said at the time.
"It was a really, really enriching evening."
It was not immediately clear when Tillman went to Afghanistan.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman was distinguished by his intelligence and
appetite for rugged play. As an undersized linebacker at Arizona State, he was
the Pac-10's defensive player of the year in 1997.
He set a franchise record with 224 tackles in 2000 and warmed up for last
year's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June.
Tillman carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated
with high honors in 3½ academic years with a degree in marketing.
"You don't find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as
tough as him," Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as Arizona State's defensive
coordinator, said in 2002. "This guy could go live in a foxhole for a year by
himself with no food."
Tillman and his brother Kevin last year won the Arthur Ashe Courage award at
the 11th annual ESPY Awards.
