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Saturday, Apr. 24, 2004

The Arizona Cardinal player who walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL career to join the Army was killed Thursday night in a firefight while on combat patrol in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. A sergeant with the elite Army Rangers, he was 27.

The fighting took place 25 miles southwest of a U.S. military base at Khost, a scene of frequent attacks.

"What other person do you know who would give up a life in the NFL to defend what he believes in with his own life?" said former teammate David Barrett, now with the New York Jets.

The White House praised him as "an inspiration both on and off the football field."

Tillman, a former safety with the Cardinals, had turned down a three-year, $3.6 million offer from Arizona and instead joined the Rangers in May 2002, never uttering a word of explanation publicly.

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 signed up for three-year stints in the Army.

The Rangers are an 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.

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 Tillman went to Afghanistan.

"A lot of times in football, analogies of war are thrown around freely," former Cardinals teammate Pete Kendall said. "On a day like this, you see how hollow those ring."

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 helped lead the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl in 1997 and was the Pacific 10 Conference defensive player of the year the next season. Bone-jarring hits were his trademark.

He graduated summa cum laude after 3 years with a marketing degree and a 3.84 grade-point average.

Breaks Record

The Cardinals took Tillman in the seventh round of the 1998 draft, the 226th player chosen. In 2000, he broke the franchise record for tackles with 223.

In practice, coaches often had to make Tillman slow down so he would not hurt anybody in drills.

He was constantly testing himself: Before the 2000 season, he ran a marathon. Before the 2001 season, he entered a triathlon.

In May 2002 _ six months after the Sept. 11 attacks _ Tillman walked into the office of then-coach Dave McGinnis, pulled up a chair and said, "Mac, we have to talk." He had decided to join the military.

"It was his wish that this not be something that would draw a lot of attention," McGinnis said. "He truly felt committed and felt a sense of honor and duty at this point in his life that this is what he wanted to do."

In December, he paid a visit home from the Middle East, and he, his wife, Marie, and brother Kevin joined the Cardinals for a game in Seattle. They spent five hours in McGinnis' hotel room the night before, talking.

"He was just so proud to be a member of the Rangers," McGinnis said. "That came through loud and clear."

Tillman talked with his teammates in the locker room after the game, then slipped out a side door before reporters came in.

"He is a hero," Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill said. "He was a brave man. There are very few people who have the courage to do what he did, the courage to walk away from a professional sports career and make the ultimate sacrifice."

Tillman was the first NFL player killed in combat since Buffalo offensive tackle Bob Kalsu died in the Vietnam War in July 1970. Nineteen NFL players were killed in World War II.

"Pat Tillman personified all the best values of his country and the NFL," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. "He was an achiever and leader on many levels who always put his team, his community and his country ahead of his personal interests."

Gov. Janet Napolitano ordered flags on the Arizona State campus flown at half-staff.

© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Editor's note: