Pat Tillman biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Athlete, professional football player, soldier. Born on November 6, 1976, in San Jose, California, the oldest of three sons. Tillman excelled at football in high school; as a star player, he helped lead Leland High School to the Central Coast Division I Football Championship. Tillman's considerable talent landed him a scholarship to Arizona State University (ASU), which he attended after graduating high school.

At ASU, Tillman thrived on the field and in the classroom. The linebacker helped his team to achieve an undefeated season and to make to the 1997 Rose Bowl game. He won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and was selected as the ASU Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1997. Tillman also earned awards for his performance as a student, winning the Clyde B. Smith Academic Award in 1996 and 1997; the Sporting News Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997; and the 1998 Sun Angel Student Athlete of Year.

Drafted to the NFL

Tillman was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1998 National Football League (NFL) draft. Over time, he earned his place as a starting player and set a new team record for the number of tackles in 2000. Loyal to his team, Tillman turned down a lucrative contract with the St. Louis Rams to stay with the Cardinals in 2001.

Joining the Army

When the United States' invaded Afghanistan, Tillman decided to put his professional career on hold in order to join the U.S. military. "Sports embodied many of the qualities I deem meaningful," he said in 2002. "However, these last few years, and especially after recent events, I've come to appreciate just how shallow and insignificant my role is . . . It's no longer important." After finishing the 2001 season, he planned on enlisting in the U.S. Army with his younger brother, Kevin. His decision to leave the sport to join the military garnered a lot of media attention; some had a hard time believing that Tillman would give up all of the perks of being a professional athlete in order to fight for his country. Yet Tillman turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract with the Cardinals enlist. Before starting his military service, Tillman married his high-school girlfriend Marie.

Tillman and his brother went through training to become Army Rangers and were assigned to the second battalion of 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington. Tillman served in several tours of duty, including time in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as a stay in Afghanistan to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Mysterious Death

On April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed in action while in a canyon in eastern Afghanistan. The first reports indicated that he was shot during a clash with enemy forces during an ambush. Many questions remained unanswered about Tillman's death at the time, but a week later this account of his death became recognized as the official story, and General Stanley McChrystal approved for the soldier's Silver Star nomination. Pat Tillman was honored in a nationally televised memorial service on May 3, 2004, in which Senator John McCain delivered the eulogy.

Yet there were still many unanswered questions and conflicting accounts concerning the circumstances surrounding his death. As more details emerged, Tillman's family began demanding answers from the military. By the end of May, media outlets reported that Tillman was actually killed in an incident of fratricide—otherwise known as "friendly fire." Official documents would later reveal that the U.S. Army was aware of the possibility of fratricide in regards to Tillman's death even before his memorial service, but withheld that knowledge from the public and from Tillman's family until well after the memorial.

The Pentagon reopened the investigation into Tillman's death in 2005, but the more than 2,000 pages of testimony only revealed more contradictions and inaccuracies. What did become known was that Tillman's platoon was forced to split up when one of their vehicles broke down during a routine search of an Afghan village. Half the platoon members were ordered to tow the vehicle, but were attacked by Taliban insurgents. When Tillman and his half of the platoon came to the rescue, they were mistaken for enemy soldiers. Tillman was shot three times