Patrick Daniel Tillman

Pat Tillman is the man who went from football player to U.S. Army soldier in the blink of an eye. After the attacks the morning of September 11th, Pat decided it was time to defend his country. When the 2001 season began, Tillman changed his life. He decided to turn down a 3 year, $3.6 million contract to go fight the war on terrorism. Pat Tillman is my hero because he was brave, athletic, and smart.

Tillman was very brave. First of all, to turn down a 3 year, $3.6 million contract to go into the military was a very brave move. Some people said that he wouldn’t leave the NFL for the military, but he proved them wrong. He thought that was the right thing to do. Then when he got to war with the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, his objective was to serve as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During this time Pat was out with his fellow soldiers and something happened. No one really knows what happened in the skirmish between Al Qaida and the soldiers but Pat ended up dead. Some say that he was running up the hill to save some other soldiers when he was hit by an Iraqi bullet. Others say he was hit by friendly fire. Whatever the cause, I am sure that Pat was doing something to serve his country and fellow soldiers.

As a Sun Devil and Cardinal, Pat was very athletic. He took Leland High to a state championship in California. Then he ended up in Arizona State University, where he was a star on defense. He led his team to an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl game. Even though Pat’s team did not come out on top, he played his heart out. He was named Pac-10 defensive player of the year and Arizona State University’s Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1997. Earning these awards demonstrated Pat’s athleticism.

Off the football field and battlefield, Pat was a very smart individual. In fact, he earned awards in many different categories. In 1996 and 1997, Pat won the Clyde B. Smith Academic Award and in 1997 he won the Sporting News Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Then in 1998 he won the Sun Angel Student Athlete of the Year Award and in 1997 he won the Burger King Scholarship Award. In 1995 he was Academic All Pac-10 and in 1996 and 1997 Pat was voted Academic All Pac-10. He won many academic awards throughout his career as a football player at ASU and on the Arizona Cardinals. His intelligence was also evident in the armed forces.

Patrick Daniel Tillman is a hero to me and possibly to others. He is my hero because he was brave, athletic, and smart. He proved this in different ways through his conduct in the military and in football. His experiences said he lived his life with reckless abandon. I believe that statement.