Forgive me for breaking from the normal fun football talk, but I was just moved to tell a little story.
NBC's Super Bowl XLIX pregame coverage included a story about the Pat Tillman Foundation. It brought back some great and awful memories.
I got to cover Pat his final year with the Cardinals. Even though we only spoke on a handful of occasions, I regarded him as one of the most unique and special individuals I've encountered in professional sports.
Tillman was an amazing athlete. One time, he decided, on a whim, to run a marathon. No training. He just went out and did it. And nearly broke the 3-hour mark. He also did a triathlon with no prep time, just to see what it's like. That was just Pat.
Pat was also insanely intelligent. He got his Economics degree in less than four years from ASU and devoured books, constantly feeding his curiosity and his intellect. He's one of those guys who seriously could have been the President of the United States of America. That was just Pat.
When he left at least $3 million on the table to enlist in the Army and become a Ranger, it was surprising, but not shocking. That was just Pat.
When Saddam Hussein was captured, I remember a few of us going frame-by-frame through any video we could find, fully expecting to see Tillman dragging the dictator to a US military installation. That was just Pat.
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When he was killed in Afghanistan, it was shocking. It hurt. It hurt like losing Tony Gwynn or Junior Seau hurt. Tillman was not a Hall of Fame-caliber player. He was not a perennial Pro Bowler. But, he was the guy every Cardinals fan loved. He was the guy everyone admired. He was the guy who played with more passion than any two guys on the field. He was the guy who reminded us professional football is a game, and it should be fun. That was just Pat.
Tillman joined the military because the events of 9/11 moved him to his core. He wanted to right a wrong, and spending Sundays in stadiums was not the way to get that done. Picking up a rifle and walking in to harm's way was the way to get it done, so he did it. That was just Pat.
Now, even after his death, his family is carrying on his spirit with its scholarships. The name Pat Tillman, for me, means finding a way to be better than you are by lifting others up to be all they want to be.
That will always be Pat. RIP #40.
