Former Cardinals safety gave up big salary to join Army Rangers
Pat Tillman turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 to join the Army in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks...
“He viewed his decision as no more patriotic than that of his less fortunate, less renowned countrymen who loved our country enough to volunteer to defend her in a time of peril,” McCain said in a statement.
Tillman’s agent, Frank Bauer, has called him a deep and clear thinker who never valued material things.
In 2001, Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the Super Bowl champions, the St. Louis Rams, out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and by joining the Army, he passed on millions of dollars more from the team.
In December, during a trip home, he made a surprise visit to his teammates with the Cardinals.
“For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his brother and Marie, for what they did and the sacrifices they made ... believe me, if you have a chance to sit down and talk with them, that respect and that love and admiration increase tenfold,” McGinnis said at the time. “It was a really, really enriching evening.”
Intelligence, toughness
Tillman, who as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 200 pounds was considered undersized for his position, nevertheless distinguished himself by his intelligence and appetite for rugged play.
As a linebacker at Arizona State University, he was the Pacific 10 Conference’s defensive player of the year in 1997. He carried a 3.84 grade-point average and graduated with high honors in 3½ academic years, earning a degree in marketing. Flags were being flown at half-staff at the college Friday.
Tillman set a Cardinals record with 224 tackles in 2000 and warmed up for last year’s training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June.
“You don’t find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as tough as him,” Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as Arizona State’s defensive coordinator, said in 2002. “This guy could go live in a foxhole for a year by himself with no food.”
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