From the Lawton Constitution
A true heroBy James Finck, Ph.D.
Over the many years of writing this column, I have talked about several different athletes and coaches whom I admire. I love sports, and I am often in awe of their athletic abilities. Yet, you have never once heard me call any of these athletes my hero, and that is intentional.
I don’t believe athletes are heroes simply because they are good at playing a game. Being physically gifted does not make someone a hero, especially when I don’t know them personally and recognize that the public lives we see are often carefully crafted. This doesn’t mean some athletes aren’t exceptional people or can’t be heroes to specific people, but it shouldn’t be because they are good at sports.
Yet I believe there is one athlete that is an exception: Pat Tillman.
While I also did not know him personally, I believe that any man willing to walk away from the money and fame of professional football to serve this country in its time of need deserves my respect and the title of hero. As Tillman would have turned 50 this week had he not died so young, I want to honor him in some way and remind us again of what a hero really is.
Tillman, a centennial baby born 200 years after the founding of our great nation, was born Nov. 6, 1976. By all accounts, he was a good athlete who played multiple sports, but by high school he had decided to focus on football. Although he was always told he was too small to be great, Tillman never listened to the doubters; he believed in himself. He didn’t care about his size. He knew he was good. He was always described as someone who loved football and played that way. It was a sport, and it was supposed to be fun. But he also had a serious work ethic and led by example, all the way to a state championship.
At 5’11” and 195 pounds, Tillman was not seriously recruited out of high school. In fact, only three schools really looked at him. One of those schools was Arizona State University, which offered the undersized linebacker its last available scholarship. He led the Sun Devils to an undefeated regular season in 1996, even though they lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Along the way, he earned three consecutive Pac-10 All-Academic Football Team selections and First-Team Academic All-American honors. As a professor, I find his 3.85 GPA just as impressive as his tackling.
I remember watching his funeral when several of the speakers talked about his curiosity. He loved to learn, study, and then debate. I can’t remember exactly who it was, but I believe it was a coach who talked about finding Tillman reading the Bible late at night. He was never particularly religious, but he was curious and didn’t want to rely on what other people told him about religion. Tillman wanted to read the book himself. That was a constant theme shared by his coaches and friends. He drove them crazy with his desire to know more and argue about it. Even as a professional athlete, Tillman was going back to school to earn a graduate degree in history. Smart guy.
Tillman earned numerous awards in college, but he was still undervalued because of his size. The Arizona Cardinals took a chance on their hometown hero and drafted him with the 226th pick. He moved to safety and quickly became a starter and a fan favorite because of the way he played the game. This undersized and underappreciated kid broke the Cardinals’ franchise record for tackles in 2000. He later turned down a major pay raise to play for the St. Louis Rams because of his loyalty to the team that had taken a chance on him. Who does that in sports? If all he had ever done was play football, he would still make for a great story. But we know he did more than that.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The day after the attacks, Tillman told a reporter, “At times like this, you stop and think about just how good we have it, what kind of system we live in, and the freedoms we’re allowed. A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars, and I really haven’t done a damn thing.”
The following year, while on his honeymoon with his high school sweetheart, he told her he had decided to enlist in the Army. He privately told the Cardinals about his decision, and he and his brother joined the Army Rangers with as little fanfare as possible for a popular NFL player. He did his best not to draw attention to himself, believing the other men and women fighting alongside him deserved just as much praise.
Tillman was first deployed to Iraq in 2003 and then again to Afghanistan in 2004. While there, he gave his last full measure, providing cover for fellow troops. It was later announced that his death had come because of friendly fire.
Tillman walked away from millions of dollars, fame, and friends and family who loved him to do something special.
In 2016, a documentary called “Pat Tillman: A Football Life” was released. I watched it and recorded it on my DVR. When the movie came out, my younger son was well on his way to becoming a great athlete. I kept the recording so that when he was old enough to understand, we would watch the movie together. I’m glad we did. There are so many athletes who will do anything for the spotlight and believe everything is all about them. I wanted my son to understand how a true man, a true teammate, and a true athletic hero acts. I wanted him to know who Pat Tillman was.
I think he understands.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at james.finck@swoknews.com.
