Pat Tillman Dies a Hero

April 22, 2004- Arizona Cardinals Safety Patrick Tillman is killed by gunfire in the war in Afghanistan while on patrol with the US Army Rangers. Ryan’s news clip shows how Tillman patriotically left a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve his country and his younger brother, Kevin. Tillman, just in his act of leaving big money to risk his life for God and country, went from being a gridiron star to being a real hero in his quest to preserve freedom! The PatTillmanfundation.org adds that Pat served on multiple tours of duty, including in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004. On the evening of April 22, 2004, Pat’s unit was ambushed as it traveled through the rugged canyon terrain of eastern Afghanistan. His heroic efforts to provide cover for fellow soldiers as they escaped from the canyon led to his untimely and tragic death via fratricide.

✦ Pat Tillman paid the ultimate price to protect others

Classic Class Acts off the football field are not always those who feed people in need or start and head up charities. The men and women associated with football who put their lives on the line to protect us are also in the Class Act category. This issue of our series will go back to the 2000’s and then Arizona Cardinal Safety, Pat Tillman.

Patrick Daniel Tillman was born in November 1976 to his parents, Mary and Patrick Kevin Tillman, in Fremont, California. Pat had not always dreamed of playing football. In 9th grade, he was a catcher for his Leland High School baseball team but failed to make the varsity squad. Crushed by this, Tillman took a stab at football in his sophomore year. He eventually led his team to the Central Coast Division I championship in later years on the gridiron. Pat then attended and played for Arizona State on a football scholarship as a linebacker.

The Arizona Cardinals chose Tillman in the 1998 draft as a safety, and he even started ten games in his rookie season. He was honored and very loyal to the Cardinal organization and showed this by turning down a very lucrative offer by the then St. Louis Rams in 2002 to stay with the Red Birds. The stalwart stayed very close to his family and friends and treasured his relationships with them, as expressed in personal writings recovered after his untimely death.

The events that occurred on 9/11/2001 inspired him to leave his lucrative football career and join the US Army Rangers. As a member of the elite fighters, he served on several tours of duty in Afghanistan. On May 28, 2004, the national hero passed reportedly from friendly fire while in the line of duty.

This young man held the world by the strings but made the ultimate sacrifice when he left his comfy life and chose to fight for freedom and serve the citizens of the United States. As Jesus said, there is no greater sacrifice than to lay down your life for your friends. Tillman is a true example of this, and we salute you, Patrick Daniel Tillman. He was a true hero and a class act, and he deserved credit for serving his country with honor, dying in the line of duty, and showing us all what serving others truly is.