Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.sports (More info?)
This really shook me. After the story about his death I pasted on one
written about a year ago about him leaving the NFL. He's a real hero.
Tillman killed in Afghanistan
CNN: Former Cardinals safety was serving in U.S. Army in Afghanistan
Posted: Friday April 23, 2004 11:36AM; Updated: Friday April 23, 2004
11:37AM
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed Thursday while
serving as an Army Special Forces soldier on a mission in southeastern
Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have told CNN.
Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million contract as a safety with the
Arizona Cardinals to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, was in an
area where numerous U.S. troops have been killed in battles with suspected
al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
He was serving as an Army Ranger, part of the Army's Special Forces.The
officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a formal
announcement was expected later in the day.
Spokesmen at the Pentagon and U.S. Army declined comment.
There were no immediate details on his death.
A military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that
a soldier had been killed in action in Afghanistan on Thursday, but could
not confirm that the soldier was Tillman.
Tillman played four seasons with the Cardinals before enlisting in the Army
in May 2002.
His brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the
Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the
Middle East.
More details are forthcoming.
Tillman follows beat of a different drum
By Tom Barnidge
NFL Insider
(March 20, 2003) -- Those who know Pat Tillman know that he always has
welcomed a challenge.
As a youth, he high-dived from bridges and cliffs. At Arizona State, he
hopped the fence at Sun Devil Stadium and climbed a light tower. Before
reporting for training camp with the Arizona Cardinals two years ago, he
competed in a 70-mile triathlon.
"He's like Forrest Gump. He tries everything," says Frank Sanders, his
former teammate.
So no one should have been surprised last spring when Tillman, entering his
fourth NFL season, shucked it all and joined his brother, Kevin, in setting
out to become an Army Ranger. What's a three-year, $3.6 million pro football
contract when you can collect $18,000 a year from Uncle Sam?
"Pat has very deep and true convictions," Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis
said at the time. "He's a deep thinker, and believe me, this was something
he thought out."
Tillman made no public statement. He wasn't in this for the publicity. But
you didn't need to dig too deeply to find an explanation for his actions.
Friends said that the 9/11 terrorist attacks had affected him deeply.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marmie, after a conversation with his
former player, said Tillman felt he needed to "pay something back" for the
comfortable life he had been afforded.
Whatever his rationale, he clearly was serious about his pursuit. He and
Kevin completed basic training in July and advanced through individual
training in October. They graduated from parachute school in November, and
completed the Ranger Indoctrination Program in December. Just that quickly,
Tillman was assigned to the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in
Fort Lewis, Washington.
"He's a full-fledged Ranger now," Army spokesperson Carol Darby reported.
"He's ready for combat. He will move with his unit for whatever that unit is
involved in."
The 75th Ranger Regiment was deployed recently, presumably to the Middle
East. If the description that the Army attaches to the unit ("flexible,
highly trained, and rapidly deployed light infantry force with specialized
skills") is any measure, the 75th likely will wind up in the middle of the
most serious action.
You can be sure that Tillman will be prepared for the challenge. He
succeeds at just about everything he sets out to do.
ConsiderŠ
He arrived at Arizona State in 1994 on the school's last remaining football
scholarship, landing a spot on the end of the bench, where dreams go to
expire. He left four seasons later as the Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player
of the Year.
He was selected by the Cardinals with the 226th pick of the 1998 draft --
the league packed up and went home after pick 241 -- and five months later,
he was Arizona's starting strong safety.
This is a fellow who doesn't know the meaning of fail -- on the field, in
the classroom, or anywhere else. He had a 3.84 grade-point average at ASU
and graduated with a degree in marketing in 3? years.
Pat Tillman is nothing if not unusual. In college, he played linebacker,
where he was thought to be too small. In the NFL, he played safety, where he
was thought to be too slow. When he set a club record for tackles in 2000
and attracted the interest of another team, the St. Louis Rams, he declined
their five-year offer sheet out of loyalty to the club that had drafted him.
NFL players hardly have been strangers to military service. Roger Staubach
served four years after graduating from the Naval Academy before joining the
Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969. Rocky Bleier of the
Pittsburgh Steelers nearly lost a leg to a land mine when he did a tour of
duty in Vietnam.
But the list of names grows a little shorter when it comes to NFL players
who have walked away from million-dollar contracts in the prime of their
careers.
The story that comes to mind is one told by Bruce Snyder, Tillman's coach
at Arizona State. It seems that Snyder planned to redshirt Tillman as a
freshman, extending his eligibility by a season. Of course, that would
necessitate Tillman remaining in college for an extra year.
"You can do whatever you want with me," Tillman said, "but in four years
I'm gone. I've got things to do with my life."
Obviously, he still does.
This really shook me. After the story about his death I pasted on one
written about a year ago about him leaving the NFL. He's a real hero.
Tillman killed in Afghanistan
CNN: Former Cardinals safety was serving in U.S. Army in Afghanistan
Posted: Friday April 23, 2004 11:36AM; Updated: Friday April 23, 2004
11:37AM
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed Thursday while
serving as an Army Special Forces soldier on a mission in southeastern
Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have told CNN.
Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million contract as a safety with the
Arizona Cardinals to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, was in an
area where numerous U.S. troops have been killed in battles with suspected
al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
He was serving as an Army Ranger, part of the Army's Special Forces.The
officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a formal
announcement was expected later in the day.
Spokesmen at the Pentagon and U.S. Army declined comment.
There were no immediate details on his death.
A military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that
a soldier had been killed in action in Afghanistan on Thursday, but could
not confirm that the soldier was Tillman.
Tillman played four seasons with the Cardinals before enlisting in the Army
in May 2002.
His brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the
Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the
Middle East.
More details are forthcoming.
Tillman follows beat of a different drum
By Tom Barnidge
NFL Insider
(March 20, 2003) -- Those who know Pat Tillman know that he always has
welcomed a challenge.
As a youth, he high-dived from bridges and cliffs. At Arizona State, he
hopped the fence at Sun Devil Stadium and climbed a light tower. Before
reporting for training camp with the Arizona Cardinals two years ago, he
competed in a 70-mile triathlon.
"He's like Forrest Gump. He tries everything," says Frank Sanders, his
former teammate.
So no one should have been surprised last spring when Tillman, entering his
fourth NFL season, shucked it all and joined his brother, Kevin, in setting
out to become an Army Ranger. What's a three-year, $3.6 million pro football
contract when you can collect $18,000 a year from Uncle Sam?
"Pat has very deep and true convictions," Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis
said at the time. "He's a deep thinker, and believe me, this was something
he thought out."
Tillman made no public statement. He wasn't in this for the publicity. But
you didn't need to dig too deeply to find an explanation for his actions.
Friends said that the 9/11 terrorist attacks had affected him deeply.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marmie, after a conversation with his
former player, said Tillman felt he needed to "pay something back" for the
comfortable life he had been afforded.
Whatever his rationale, he clearly was serious about his pursuit. He and
Kevin completed basic training in July and advanced through individual
training in October. They graduated from parachute school in November, and
completed the Ranger Indoctrination Program in December. Just that quickly,
Tillman was assigned to the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in
Fort Lewis, Washington.
"He's a full-fledged Ranger now," Army spokesperson Carol Darby reported.
"He's ready for combat. He will move with his unit for whatever that unit is
involved in."
The 75th Ranger Regiment was deployed recently, presumably to the Middle
East. If the description that the Army attaches to the unit ("flexible,
highly trained, and rapidly deployed light infantry force with specialized
skills") is any measure, the 75th likely will wind up in the middle of the
most serious action.
You can be sure that Tillman will be prepared for the challenge. He
succeeds at just about everything he sets out to do.
ConsiderŠ
He arrived at Arizona State in 1994 on the school's last remaining football
scholarship, landing a spot on the end of the bench, where dreams go to
expire. He left four seasons later as the Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player
of the Year.
He was selected by the Cardinals with the 226th pick of the 1998 draft --
the league packed up and went home after pick 241 -- and five months later,
he was Arizona's starting strong safety.
This is a fellow who doesn't know the meaning of fail -- on the field, in
the classroom, or anywhere else. He had a 3.84 grade-point average at ASU
and graduated with a degree in marketing in 3? years.
Pat Tillman is nothing if not unusual. In college, he played linebacker,
where he was thought to be too small. In the NFL, he played safety, where he
was thought to be too slow. When he set a club record for tackles in 2000
and attracted the interest of another team, the St. Louis Rams, he declined
their five-year offer sheet out of loyalty to the club that had drafted him.
NFL players hardly have been strangers to military service. Roger Staubach
served four years after graduating from the Naval Academy before joining the
Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969. Rocky Bleier of the
Pittsburgh Steelers nearly lost a leg to a land mine when he did a tour of
duty in Vietnam.
But the list of names grows a little shorter when it comes to NFL players
who have walked away from million-dollar contracts in the prime of their
careers.
The story that comes to mind is one told by Bruce Snyder, Tillman's coach
at Arizona State. It seems that Snyder planned to redshirt Tillman as a
freshman, extending his eligibility by a season. Of course, that would
necessitate Tillman remaining in college for an extra year.
"You can do whatever you want with me," Tillman said, "but in four years
I'm gone. I've got things to do with my life."
Obviously, he still does.
78990hsvmhjigeq1st9hpv21krai4v9i3@4ax.com...
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram