Yesterday we explored the forgotten prowess of Davon Coleman. Today we salute the man that every player who has donned maroon and gold aspires to emulate when they step onto campus in Tempe.
Pat Tillman played linebacker at ASU from 1994-97. His career was highlighted by earning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and First-team All-American honors in 1997 as part of the program's conference championship-winning team. He also participated in the Rose Bowl that same season against Ohio State and helped lead the Sun Devils to a seismic upset over then-No. 1 ranked Nebraska.
September 21, 1996: Jake Plummer, Pat Tillman, Derrick Rodgers and Arizona State upset Scott Frost, Ahman Green and #1 Nebraska 19-0 in Tempe. pic.twitter.com/ObI9sfw8cR
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) September 21, 2022
His talents were impressive enough to see him drafted No. 226 overall in the 1997 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals where he played four seasons in the league before feeling a call to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“At times like this you stop and think about just how good we have it, what kind of system we live in, and the freedoms we are allowed. A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars and I really haven’t done a damn thing," Tillman told a reporter the day after the attacks.
Tragically, Tillman was killed in 2004 by friendly fire while serving as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan. He was only 27 years old.
Tillman was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. He is honored every year with a charity event, Pat's Run, where people travel to Tempe to run 4.2 miles - a nod to his jersey number - and raise money for charities benefiting veterans.
In 2015, ASU unveiled a Tillman statue on the north end of Mountain America stadium when renovations were underway to move the locker rooms and other student athlete facilities from the south end.
Tillman's legacy and impact on ASU could fill multiple books. In fact, they have but if this is your first taste of the trademark PT42 attitude, we encourage you to continue doing your research and learn more about that man that defines the mission of the university and the football program.