I bet you remember Tillman. He gave up an juicy NFL contract for basic training. Nice to see he is doing so well.
Tillman drops by to stay in touch
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 22, 2003 12:00 AM
SEATTLE - As a U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman probably is accustomed to stealth missions.
He made another one this weekend, visiting his old team, the Cardinals, on their trip to Seattle. Tillman, a former Cardinals safety, is stationed at Ft. Lewis, about a 50-minute drive south of Seattle.
So he, along with wife Marie, his brother Kevin, and a couple of friends visited the Cardinals on Saturday and Sunday. Kevin is also a Ranger.
They stayed at the team hotel, watched the game from owner Bill Bidwill's suite and met with players Sunday morning and after the game.
Tillman left the locker room through a side door before reporters were admitted. He has declined all interviews since joining the Army in the summer of 2002.
"The first thing he wanted to talk about was, 'Coach, how about this, how about that. I've been following you,' " coach Dave McGinnis said. "I even asked him if he could play a little 'H' linebacker for me. He said he brought his playbook, but he didn't think his hamstrings would hold up."
Tillman met with McGinnis and other Cardinals coaches Saturday night and had breakfast with Bidwill.
McGinnis called the conversation "mesmerizing."
The Tillman brothers have served in the Middle East in Operation Iraqi Freedom and recently completed advanced Ranger training in Georgia. They could return to the Middle East soon.
It was the first time some of Tillman's former teammates had seen him since he joined, because Tillman enlisted in the off-season.
"He did a great thing for our country," safety Adrian Wilson said. "I was real surprised to see him. I didn't know he was back (in the United States) until I saw him (Sunday) morning. It was nice talking to him."
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