Biography
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ASU CEREMONY TO RECOGNIZE HERO'S SCHOLARLY SIDE
Paola Boivin
Republic columnist
November 10, 2004
Three months before war took Pat Tillman's life, Doug Tammaro met the soldier in Seattle and watched him search furiously for the entrance to an all-glass building.
"Nice to know that people in charge of national security can't get in a restaurant," said Tammaro, the associate media relations director at Arizona State.
"Dude, another minute and I was going to light a charge on the window," Tillman said.
That was Tillman. If he couldn't find a door to take him where he wanted, he would create one. At ASU, he shunned the philosophy that student-athletes should take five years to earn a degree and did it in 3 1/2.
With honors.
The Sun Devils' halftime ceremony Saturday to retire Tillman's No. 42 jersey will be built around his academic accomplishments. It will play to a backdrop of military themes - the flyover, the soldiers - but the tone will be decidedly about Tillman the brainiac, because in discussions with the Army Ranger's family, ASU learned Tillman's academic prowess was celebrated in their home as much as his military commitment.
He is the only football player at ASU to earn All-America honors as an athlete and a student. He finished with a 3.84 GPA and earned his marketing degree. Few knew this, but while he played for the Cardinals, he took history classes in Tempe in pursuit of a postgraduate degree.
Determining how to honor Tillman Saturday was a delicate issue for the Sun Devils. They already held a memorial service. And as much as this nation has embraced Tillman's sacrifices, his family will be the first to tell you they don't want his military service to become a maudlin and tired cliché.
Honoring Tillman the scholar was the right way to go.
The untold story that followed the player's death in Afghanistan, the one that isn't even a fraction as important but that should be recognized, is the work ASU put in to make sure that proper information went out, to shield the family from a media onslaught, and to help keep his legacy alive with a scholarship and a foundation (PatTillmanFoundation.net).
Hundreds of e-mails and phone calls found their way to the employees of the media relations department in the days after his death. Newspapers wanted photos, fans wanted their opinions heard, others wanted to know where to send donations. They still receive daily requests.
Assistant Athletic Director Mark Brand said he's uncomfortable with any type of recognition - "We wanted to help," he said - but his staff should be credited for succeeding at a task that's not explained in any manual.
That Tillman's jersey retirement happens during this season is fitting because the 2004 Sun Devils would be a team the former player would respect. They have been relentless in the face of adversity (overcoming injuries and fourth-quarter deficits), they have displayed minimal bravado and many take to heart the type of player Tillman represented.
"When I talk to our players in our leadership meetings two days a week," ASU coach Dirk Koetter said, "I ask them to give examples of almost any characteristic, whatever the lesson is, and Pat Tillman's name always comes up. He is off the charts in our respect."
Quarterback Andrew Walter said, "I only met him for five seconds. Hopefully, I'll remember those five seconds forever."
Following several trying years, this is a good time for ASU fans. The man that will be recognized at halftime is a quality representative of the university, and the football team has instilled renewed faith in the athletic department.
A win Saturday would give the Sun Devils their first undefeated home season since 1996 and put them one game away from a 9-2 record.
It's a game, Walter's last at home, that should fill up Sun Devil Stadium. Athletic Director Gene Smith admitted Monday that the 14,000-plus empty seats he saw against Stanford Saturday were disappointing.
"I sat there and I watched this team fight back, and I looked around the stands and I was happy to see the ones that stayed, but I was also kind of disheartened," he said. "I just think these kids deserve more."
He's right. This is a game that deserves a filled stadium to honor a team and a player that have represented the university well.
Reach Boivin at paola.boivin@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8956.
ASU Pat Tillman tribute
Pat Tillman's No. 42 will be retired by Arizona State during ceremonies at Saturday's final home game of the season against Washington State. A rundown of the day's activities:
PREGAME
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Introduction of 13 ASU seniors and their parents.
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Flyover by four Apache helicopters during the national anthem.
HALFTIME
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John Philip Sousa medley with the band finishing in USA formation.
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Pat Tillman Patriot Award presentation by Col. Robert Lichtenberger, National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. One plaque presented to Marie Tillman and another to the ASU athletic department.
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God Bless America with the band finishing in No. 42 formation.
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Retirement of Tillman's ASU No. 42 with the Tillman family, ASU officials and Tillman teammates, including Jake Plummer, gathered on the 42-yard line.
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Tillman's No. 42 unveiled at the south end of the press box and framed jersey unveiled on the field.
The NFL and Tillman
The National Football League plans comprehensive tributes for Pat Tillman and Veterans Day.
The league has produced two videos for this coming weekend.
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The first, an in-stadium video to be shown by teams in pregame or during the game, is a 40-second salute to Tillman, the former Cardinals safety who joined the U.S. Army two years ago and was killed in action in Afghanistan this past April.
Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, who played with Tillman at Arizona State and with the Cardinals, remembers his former teammate in the video.
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The NFL also produced a 30-second television message that will be shown during all game telecasts this weekend. Produced in conjunction with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the message salutes military families, including those of reservists and members of the National Guard. Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, a former U.S. Marine, narrates the tribute.
NFL clubs have scheduled other Veterans Day activities for this weekend and next. A sampling of some of those ceremonies:
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Atlanta Falcons (vs. Tampa Bay): In pregame ceremonies, the Falcons will recognize Purple Heart recipients and salute those serving in Iraq. At halftime, the USMC Silent Drill Platoon will perform.
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Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota): Following a performance of the national anthem by the University of Wisconsin band, there will be a flyby featuring four F-18 Navy jets.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Detroit): Outside the stadium, there will be a military vehicle display, and 60,000 flag posters will be distributed to fans upon entry to the stadium. In pregame activities, there will be a 50-person Navy re-enlistment ceremony, a 10-veteran color guard (representing various wars and conflicts), a U.S. Navy jet flyover and two Medal of Honor recipients serving as honorary captains during the coin toss. During the game, there will be video-screen messages from military personnel abroad, and at halftime the U.S. Navy Parachute Team - the "Leap Frogs" - will land on the field.
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San Francisco 49ers (vs. Carolina): The 49ers will feature the unfurling of a giant triangular flag by members of the military, a joint services color guard, 100 Air Force cadets sworn in to active duty, and an F-15 flyover.
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Many teams honored Tillman and Veterans Day at last Sunday's games. Among those were games involving the Cardinals and the Giants:
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Miami Dolphins (vs. the Cardinals): The team hosted a Coast Guard re-enlistment ceremony in pregame, followed by the national anthem, with local veterans and their families on the field, and a fly-over. Vice Admiral Thad Allen , chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard, tossed the coin.
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New York Giants (vs. Chicago): The Giants featured a full joint color guard, a representative of the U.S. Navy singing the national anthem and three wounded veterans from Iraq serving as honorary captains. At halftime, the West Point Cadets Silent Drill Team performed.