Pat Tillman

To Pat it was our nation before his career (CNN)

If you were an NFL player after the September 11th attacks, would you give it all up to go serve in the army to protect our country? Well Pat Tillman did, and I believe he was an amazing man. Pat was born and raised in San Jose, California with his older brother, Kevin. Both boys were very athletic and had a passion for sports. Pat loved football, while Kevin couldn’t live without baseball. When college time came around the brave brothers went their separate ways.

Pat Tillman playing for the Cardinals (ESPN)

Pat started his college career in 1994 at Arizona State University, playing in the linebacker position. He continually excelled as linebacker even though he stood a mere 5’ 11’’ tall. In his senior year at Arizona State he was voted Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. The Pacific Ten Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which functions in the western United States. Ironically, academically, Tillman also shined in his works. Pat majored in marketing and graduated half a year early with a 3.84 GPA, nearly perfect. He really knew how to focus on sports and schoolwork at the same time, which is hard to juggle. In the 1998 NFL Draft, Tillman was selected as the 226th pick by the Arizona Cardinals. The coaches chose to play Pat as the safety position in the NFL, and miraculously he started ten out of the sixteen games in his rookie season. Tillman was considered an amazing football player; he was ready to tackle anything thrown at him.

Tillman ready for the game (ESPN)

Coaches were always talking about how dedicated he was to anything he did, and how he brought so much passion, honor, and integrity to the field when he was playing. One of his coaches quoted, “Too slow to be a great safety, too small for an NFL linebacker, he got by on toughness, effort, and brains”. Needless I say on top of this amazing career, Pat had met the love of his life in 2000, and they married in April of 2001. The Cardinals also had offered Tillman a $3.6 million dollar contract for three years! It seemed as though Pat really had it going for his self. In May 2002, just eight months after the September 11th attacks, Pat and Kevin secretly decided that they wanted to go fight in Iraq. Pat went to his coach, Dave McGinnis, and told him that his self and Kevin were to join the Army Rangers soon. The Army Rangers are the big guys in war, they are the soldiers sent where the fighting is the toughest. After telling his coach, McGinnis commented to ESPN, “It was his wish that this not be something that would draw a lot of attention. He truly felt committed and felt a sense of honor and duty at this point in his life that this is what he wanted to do.” Tillman never wanted to draw publicity to his decision, what he did was for the right things. Pat truly wanted to do the humble action… he was a hero.

Ready to fight for our Nation (CNN)

According to the book, A Hero's Trail, Pat Tillman would be considered a hero within. This man was courageous, thoughtful, and so caring. He would make sure everyone else was okay before his self. He was a very unselfcentered man. These are all qualities that make him a hero within. He didn't do the things he did to get attention, he did it because he felt like he was doing the right thing. I admire Pat so much for being such a strong hero. He was a loyal man, specifically to our country and homeland. He was a brave man, which is a strong quality for a hero to have. On top of all of this he was an amazing role model to kids. All of the qualities and traits are what makes Pat Tillman a Hero Within, of course according to T.A. Barron. What a wonderful book. Due to a fatal tragedy that you will learn about as you read on, it makes Pat an even more amazing hero for he gave up something so large for our nation.

Trading 3.6 million dollars for Afghanistan? (MSNBC)

On April 23rd, 2004 at approximately 7 p.m. Tillman was shot in a firefight. The officials had no information on what type of weapons were used, or if he died on impact or not, all they know is this man is gone forever for doing an amazing thing. Since the loss of Pat, the Cardinals have retired his Number 40 jersey and named the new plaza surrounding the new stadium the “Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza.” Arizona State will be retiring his number 42 jersey at their November 13th game, and they are placing his name on the honor ring at the Sun Devil Stadium. The university and Cardinals just recently created a scholarship fund in Tillman’s name. He will forever live on as a great man in the minds of all around. No person in their sane mind would do such a thing as give up 3 million dollars doing what they loved to protect the people of their homeland. Pat Tillman is a hero within, forever and always.