Sockeye Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?i...artnersite=espn Friday, April 23, 2004 ESPN.com news services Former NFL defensive back Pat Tillman was killed in action while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, ABCNEWS reported Friday. He was 27. Tillman was killed in direct action during a firefight in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, Pentagon sources told ABCNEWS. A Pentagon source told ABCNEWS that Tillman was killed when his Rangers patrol was attacked by small arms fire and mortars during a coordinated ambush. One enemy combatant was killed, and Tillman was the only U.S. soldier killed during the ambush, said Pentagon sources. His brother, Kevin, is in the same platoon. No other details were yet available. Tillman played four seasons for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals as a safety after starring at Arizona State University. In May of 2002, Tillman announced his intentions to join the Army, turning down a $3.6 million contract offer in the process for $18,000 a year and an uncertain quest to become an Army Ranger. Tillman and his brother Kevin decided to enroll in the U.S. Army Rangers after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Both Pat and Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization, committed to three-year military terms, landing spots with the elite U.S. Army Rangers. The Tillmans' goal to join the Rangers was not an easy one to achieve. Only 35 percent of all candidates get to wear the coveted black and gold Ranger Tab. The two served in the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pat and Kevin were recipients of the 11th annual Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2003 ESPYs. Their younger brother, Richard, accepted the award while the brothers were away. In 2001, Pat Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer from the St. Louis Rams to remain with the Cardinals for less money. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Pat graduated summa cum laude with a 3.84 GPA from Arizona State, with a degree in marketing. While a student, he used to meditate atop a 200-foot light tower above the university's stadium. "If you don't know Pat, then you would think he's crazy," Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as Arizona State's defensive coordinator, said at the time of Pat's enrollment in the Army. "The planes flew so close to him that he could damn near reach out and touch them. He's just fearless." Tillman's decision to join the Army's elite infantry unit did not come as a surprise to friends, as he was always setting challenges for himself. Bored before the 2000 season, Tillman ran a marathon. After setting a franchise record with 224 tackles in 2000, he prepared for the following season's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon. "You don't find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as tough as him," Snow said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsGoDevils Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 (edited) Man, that sucks. I remember that award ceremony. He seemed like a really great guy. Edited April 23, 2004 by poohbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 (edited) yea I remember hearing about him enlisting a while ago, I had no idea he was still there. no doubt he had guts, joining his brother in Afghanistan. but the choices people make sometimes.....I just don't understand RIP Pat Tillman, our thoughts are with his family. Edited April 23, 2004 by '7' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASHER Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I give the guy credit for following his heart and doing what he felt was the right thing to do... really sad that it cost him his life, but if anything he should get bouns points in the afterlife for doing what he believed in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinscurvy Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 (edited) That's SOOOOO sad. What a great guy he was, too. I remember that classless jerk, Simeon Rice, said something derogatory about him for enlisting. I wonder what that douchebag is thinkin now. Edited April 23, 2004 by smokinscurvy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I remember that classless jerk, Simeon Rice, said something derogatory about him for enlisting. I wonder what that douchebag is thinkin now. Nothing we'd want to hear I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinscurvy Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Here is the article when he decided to join the Army: In the Army Cardinals' Tillman gives up NFL career to serve country Posted: Thursday May 23, 2002 8:40 PM Updated: Friday May 24, 2002 4:43 PM Pat Tillman has always defied convention. Tom Hauck/Allsport PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman is giving up the NFL for the Army. Tillman said Thursday he is enlisting in the Army for three years. Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said Tillman, a two-year starter at free safety, wants to go through boot camp and join the elite Rangers program with his younger brother, Kevin, an infielder who spent last year with the Cleveland Indians' organization. "This is very serious with Pat," McGinnis said. "It's very personal, and I honor that. I honor the integrity of that. It was not a snap decision he woke up and made yesterday. This has been an ongoing process, and he feels very strongly about it." Tillman, a California native who was married two weeks ago and returned from a honeymoon in Bora Bora on Monday, talked to Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, McGinnis and defensive coordinator Larry Marmie in separate interviews Wednesday. He could not be reached for comment. His agent, Frank Bauer, called the decision consistent with his client's contemplative, nonmaterialistic nature. SI's Tim Layden Right up his alley Some people might find it shocking that Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, a four-year NFL veteran, is leaving pro football to enlist in the Army. I don't find it shocking at all because Tillman is the antithesis of everything associated with the modern professional athlete. Full Story SI Flashback A Cut Above Most football players fit into a box. They're big, fast and strong (duh); they submit to authority without resistance; and if asked to define introspection, they would say it's what happens when the defense picks off a pass. Those who don't fit into the box rarely succeed at a major program. Then there is Arizona State senior linebacker Pat Tillman. Full Story Tillman, an unrestricted free agent, spurned a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and allowed a multiyear deal with the Cardinals to sit on the table this spring despite Bauer's urging to sign. "This is very consistent with how he conducts his life," Bauer said. "Patty is the type of guy who is very smart and very loyal. I remember when the Rams made their offer, he said, 'No, I want to stay with the Cardinals. If I have to play for the minimum, I don't care.' He axed the offer sheet and played another year. But he's always had a blueprint for what he wants to do. Now everything else is on the back burner." Tillman, 25, never tired of football, but felt his hand was forced by the military's age restriction on entry in special forces units, Bauer said. The agent said Tillman hopes to resume his NFL career when his enlistment is up. Newlywed Marie Tillman supports her husband's decision to leave one rugged profession for a more dangerous one, Bauer said. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman has always been distinguished by his appetite for rugged play and intelligence. As an undersized linebacker at Arizona State, he was the Pac-10's defensive player of the year in 1997. He warmed up for last year's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June, and he finished his fourth NFL year with 478 career tackles and three interceptions. As a scholar, Tillman carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated summa cum laude in 31/2 academic years with a degree in marketing. "The guy has got something to him, and that's why I wanted him on the team all these years," McGinnis said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 This is a heartbreaking story about a man who made the ultimate sacrifice. Pat Tillman is an American hero. May he R.I.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTCB Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Very sad to hear this news about a true hero.... Makes you realize just how many Pat Tillmans there are now and have been throughout our history.. God bless Pat Tillman and his family and friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Very sad to leave this earth at 27 but as Crash said, he did what he wanted to and turning down that kind of money and added fame for what he wanted to do is a noble choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diablo Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 MY THANKS, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH HIS FAMILY - - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langsgirl Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 When I read this today my heart broke.. that is truly a hero in my eyes.. someone who even has the guts to give up such an already amazing life to do something like that and risk losing everything he has.. I mean i give credit to everyone who fights for our country... but some people kind of choose it as the last resort instead of college.. lots of my friends had bad grades and that was where they went from HS.. this guy had it all.. and gave it up.. and I admire that to no ends...God Bless his family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pineview Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 In contrast, you have Archie Manning whining about whom Eli will play for and whom he won't. Tillman realized his great fortune, i.e., to be paid a healthy sum of money to play a game, but knew he had a greater mission in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 langsgirl, those are my thoughts exactly. Not to take anything away from those who enlist out of high school, but many of them do so because they feel that is their best chance to succeed. Tillman had millions, and chose to give it up to do what he thought was right. Truly a hero. God bless him, and his family. BTW - we bash ESPN a lot, and deservedly so for their hockey coverage, but I have to give them a big thumbs up for the report/tribute they did on this last night. It was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 He is a better American then I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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