Apr. 23, 2004. 05:23 PM
Ex-NFLer Pat Tillman killed in action
BY JOHN J. LUMPKIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON Football player Pat Tillman, who turned down a mulitmillion-dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the U.S. army, was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan, officials said today.
Tillman, who played four seasons with the Cardinals before enlisting in 2002, was 27.
Although the military had yet to officially confirm his death, the White House issued a statement of sympathy that praised Tillman as "an inspiration both on and off the football field."
Lt.-Col. Matt Beevers, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kabul, confirmed that a U.S. soldier was killed Thursday evening, but would not say whether it was Tillman. A military official at the Pentagon confirmed it was Tillman.
Beevers said the soldier died after a firefight with anti-coalition militia forces about 40 kilometres southwest of a U.S. military base at Khost, which has been the scene of frequent attacks.
Two other U.S. soldiers on the combat patrol were injured, and an Afghan soldier fighting alongside the Americans was killed.
Former Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis said he felt both overwhelming sorrow and tremendous pride in Tillman, who "represented all that was good in sports."
"Pat knew his purpose in life," McGinnis said. "He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling."
Several of Tillman's friends had said the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks influenced his decision to enlist.
Arizona Senator John McCain noted that Tillman declined to speak publicly about his decision to put his National Football League career on hold.
"He viewed his decision as no more patriotic than that of his less-fortunate, less-renowned countrymen who loved our country enough to volunteer to defend her in a time of peril," McCain, a Republican, said in a statement.
Tillman, a safety, turned down a three-year, $3.6-million (U.S.) deal from Arizona when he enlisted in the army in May 2002.
He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife, Marie.
"A lot of times in football the analogies with war are kind of thrown around freely and on a day like today you kind of see how hollow those ring," said Pete Kendall, who plays guard for the Cardinals, during a news conference.
"You know you hear about guys soldiering on through injuries and that really is a... that's a tough statement to make at a time like this. I just count myself very lucky to have known Pat and played with him for that one year."
Michael Bidwell, vice-president of the Cardinals' organization, called Tillman a hero.
"There are very few people who have the courage to do what he did," he said.
Tillman's brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the Middle East. They committed to three-year stints in the army.
The army's elite Ranger regiment is a highly trained infantry force, whose soldiers serve as shock troops, raiders and commandos who strike behind enemy lines.
Every Ranger volunteers for the duty and must pass rigorous physical tests to serve in the unit.
Some 110 U.S. soldiers have died, 39 of them in combat, during Operation Enduring Freedom, which began in Afghanistan in late 2001. It was not immediately clear when Pat Tillman went to Afghanistan.
Tillman's agent, Frank Bauer, has called him a deep and clear thinker who has never valued material things.
In 2001, Tillman turned down a $9-million, five-year offer from the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and by joining the army, he passed on millions more from the team.
In December, during a trip home, he made a surprise visit to his Cardinal teammates.
"For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his brother and Marie, for what they did and the sacrifices they made, believe me, if you have a chance to sit down and talk with them, that respect and that love and admiration increase tenfold," Coach Dave McGinnis said at the time.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman was distinguished by his intelligence and appetite for rugged play. As an undersized linebacker at Arizona State, he was the Pac-10's defensive player of the year in 1997. He was also known to meditate atop a 60-metre light tower at the stadium.
"If you don't know Pat, then you would think he's crazy," Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as defensive co-ordinator for Arizona State, said in 2002. "He's just fearless."
With the Cardinals, Tillman set a franchise record with 224 tackles in 2000 and warmed up for last year's training camp by competing in a 113-kilometre triathlon in June.
He carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated with high honours in 3-1/2 academic years with a degree in marketing.
"You don't find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as tough as him," said Snow. "This guy could go live in a foxhole for a year by himself with no food."
Tillman and his brother Kevin last year won the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the 11th annual ESPY Awards.
