Five years ago today: Remembering Pat Tillman

April 22, 5:17 PMPhoenix Conservative ExaminerScott Martin

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The Pat Tillman we knew. (Photo: Alfred Benway)

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of former Arizona Cardinals safety and real American hero, Pat Tillman. Syracuse.com interviewed Chris Gedney, friend and teammate with the Cardinals.

Chris found himself spinning.

The voice on the radio had caused this. It had, after all, informed him that his friend, Pat Tillman, had been killed in Afghanistan.

"I went numb," Gedney recalled on Tuesday. "I got dizzy. I was in total disbelief."

So, he pulled over and rolled to a stop near a swing set in a park. And there Chris sat for the longest time, wondering how it could be that Pat Tillman, as tough and as honorable as any man he'd ever met, could be dead.

Tillman, you will recall, performed the unthinkable for a professional athlete in the prime of his career. Shortly after the events of 9/11, Tillman walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million deal with the Cardinals to join the Army Rangers.

But money never was Tillman's motivation. Remember, he turned down a three-year, $9 million contract to leave Phoenix for the St. Louis Rams in 2000. And this was while the Cardinals still played in the outdoor misery that was Sun Devil Stadium on a Sunday afternoon.

"You know, typically, when somebody dies, people come around and tell stories about what a good person he or she was," Chris declared. "But I will say this: Of all the recollections I heard that day and ever since, not one story about Pat was, or has been, embellished. Not one.

"I'm telling you, Pat was one great guy. He believed in a handshake. He believed in the values from yesteryear. He was just a hard-working dude who 'got it.' He was always led by his convictions."

I remember talking with sports talk radio's John Gambadoro, co-host of The Gambo and Ash Show on AM 620 KTAR, about Tillman. He recalled how whenever he put Tillman on the air there would end up being a lot of dead air. It seems they hosts had to spend much of the conversation hitting the "dump" button to silence all of his casual expletives.

For his heroic actions, and for his free-spirited, fresh and honest demeanor, Pat Tillman remains the single most popular player in Cardinals history.

"He always had a history book in his hand," said Gedney, a one-time tight end at both Liverpool High School and Syracuse University. "He was really caught up in World War II. He was always trying to gather information. And he just didn't care about wealth or the other things that so many of us are driven by.

"I don't know . . . he was such a cool dude. I think all of his clothes were made out of hemp. He had the long hair. Was a free spirit. Rode his bicycle to practice. After games, he'd be drinking McCaffrey's Irish stouts with his brother in the parking lot. Pat was just different, and he was passionate about everything he did."

I watched Tillman play many times at Sun Devil Stadium, both for the Cardinals and for Arizona State University. His passion on the field was special. Everything about him was. 

Five years later, Arizona remembers Tillman's passion and sacrifice. Not only here, but all across a nation that barely knew him until he died, "Tilly" is missed.

Much more of the interview at the link above.

 Above left: The Pat Tilman the rest of the world knew.