Pat Tillman paid the ultimate price to protect others
Classic Class Acts off the football field are not always those who feed the needy or start and head up charities. The men and women associated with football who put their lives on the line to protect us are definitely in the Class Act category as well. 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 did not always dream 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 decided to take 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.
Tillman was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1998 draft as a safety and even started ten games in his rookie season at the position. 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 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 paid the ultimate sacrifice when he left his comfy life and chose to fight for freedom and to 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 well deserving of the credit for serving his country with honor, dying in the line of duty and showing us all what serving others truly is.
