Former NFL player killed in Iraq was lifetime overachiever

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) _ Pat Tillman overachieved in football, and just about everything else. <br><br>Too slow to be a great safety, too small for an NFL linebacker, he got by on toughness, effort and brains.

Saturday, April 24th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) _ Pat Tillman overachieved in football, and just about everything else.

Too slow to be a great safety, too small for an NFL linebacker, he got by on toughness, effort and brains. Then he walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL career to join the Army Rangers and serve his country.

This week, he paid with his life. Tillman was killed in an ambush Thursday night in Afghanistan. He was 27.

``Pat represents all that is good with this country, our society and ultimately the human condition in general,'' said Seattle Seahawks general manager Bob Ferguson, who was General Manager with the Arizona Cardinals when Tillman was drafted.

``In today's world of instant gratification and selfishness, here is a man that was defined by words like loyalty, honor, passion, courage, strength and nobility. He is a modern-day hero.''

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers said Saturday that Tillman was killed in a firefight on a road near Sperah, about 25 miles southwest of a U.S. base at Khost.

After coming under fire, Tillman's patrol got out of their vehicles and gave chase, moving toward the spot of the ambush. Beevers said the fighting was ``sustained'' and lasted 15-20 minutes. He was killed by enemy fire.

A memorial was set up outside the Cardinals' headquarters, with his No. 40 jersey in a glass frame, and a giant poster with Tillman on one knee, in uniform, on the Cardinals' sideline.

People brought flowers, teddy bears and balloons. One man in uniform and kilt showed up to play ``Amazing Grace'' and ``America the Beautiful'' on a bagpipe.

``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 Cardinals said they will retire Tillman's No. 40 and name the plaza surrounding the new stadium under construction in suburban Glendale the ``Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza.''

Arizona State will retire his No. 42 jersey during a Nov. 13 game and place his name on the honor ring at Sun Devil Stadium. The university and the Cardinals also are collaborating on a scholarship fund in Tillman's name.

In college, Tillman was a long-haired wild man on the field, an all-Pac-10 linebacker always going full-speed. Bone-jarring hits were his trademark. He helped lead the Sun Devils to the 1996 Rose Bowl and a year later was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year.

But he excelled off the field, as well.

He graduated summa cum laude in 3 1/2 years. He earned a marketing degree with a 3.84 grade-point average.

The Cardinals took Tillman in the seventh round of the 1998 draft, the 226th player chosen.

At first, he made his mark on special teams but played his way to starting safety.

In practice, coaches often had to make Tillman slow down so he wouldn't hurt anybody in drills that weren't supposed to be full-speed. Before the 2000 season, he ran a marathon to see what it would be like. Before the 2001 season, he gave the triathlon a try.

In May of 2002 _ six months after Sept. 11 _ Tillman walked into the office of then-coach Dave McGinnis, pulled up a chair and said ``Mac, we have to talk.''

Tillman and his brother, Kevin _ a baseball player in the Cleveland organization _ were going to join the Army Rangers, soldiers sent where the fighting is toughest.

He never said a word about his decision publicly.

``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.''

Tillman served in Iraq before starting his tour in Afghanistan.

``He didn't want the media spotlight _ but he didn't have to talk about why he was here to have a positive effect,'' said Sgt. 1st Class Craig Mussatti, Tillman's drill instructor at Fort Benning. ``I'm glad that people recognize him as a great American. That's what he was. A great American and a great man _ on the field and off it.''