Remember Pat
By Kyle Kensing
College football fandom is sometimes compared to a religion, and the comparison isn’t too far off the mark. Once a week, the dedicated masses congegrate to celebrate the sport. Very little eclipses the commitment fans have to their chosen teams. Pat Tillman’s choice to walk away from NFL fame and fortune to serve in the United States Army is one such instance.
Granted the Arizona – Arizona State rivalry isn’t nearly as heated as say, Alabama – Auburn, but growing up in the Grand Canyon State and later attending UA I can say attest to its intensity. But there isn’t a Wildcat I’ve met who wouldn’t say he is a Tillman fan.
Sept. 11, 2001 is and for ages will continue to be the darkest day in American history. Yet in its wake were some of the nation’s proudest moments, because all divisions were wiped away. From something as frivolous as a football rivalry, to the deep discord in political ideologies, none of it mattered. We were all simply Americans, and so many wanted to do something to aid one another.
Few actually followed through. As the nation gradually returned to business as usual, a man with so much to lose put it all on the line.
Tillman was a PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year at ASU and key contributor to the Sun Devils’ 1996 Rose Bowl run. He was a season removed from a 106-tackle season for the Arizona Cardinals and left a nearly $4 million offer sheet on the table when he enlisted at Army Ranger School. Everyone’s aware of the sacrifice Tillman made, but it can’t be reiterated enough as every reminder emphasizes that his commitment to country superceded all.
Like millions of Americans, Tillman wanted Osama Bin Laden and those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks brought to justice. That he wasn’t able to is among many tragedies his being killed wrought, and frankly, after 10 years much of the country assumed they wouldn’t either.
Tillman’s sacrifice was never for naught. U.S. Forces finding and killing the man Tillman gave his life to pursue is a reminder of what he gave. Regardless the colors we wear, the colors we are, the way we vote or think, we’re all Americans sharing this country.
Remember Pat and what his dedication means to us all.