Did you become a little more patriotic after Sept. 11, holding your hand over your heart during the national anthem or flying an American flag?
Pat Tillman did more, but he always did more. He had to.
At 5-foot-11 and around 200 pounds, Tillman was undersized by football standards, though he never used that as an excuse. For four years, Tillman was a star here at ASU, but you wouldn't know that talking to him.
He would ride his bike to practice, both at ASU and later with the Arizona Cardinals and talk with kids or adults or anyone that wanted his time. It was never 'Mr. Tillman' or 'Sir'. It was just 'Pat'. He was an intellect trapped inside a surfer's body who happened to play football. He was a man the girls wanted to date and the guys wanted to hang out with.
He was simply a great person.
Even before he enlisted in the Army, Tillman was an inspiration to all of us, not just football fans. The quintessential student-athlete, Tillman gradated in three-and-a-half years with a degree in marketing and a 3.84 grade point average. Oh yeah, that undersized linebacker was also the Pac-10's Defensive Player of the Year his senior season.
Tillman again beat the odds and made it to the NFL.
This weekend, the NFL draft was completed -- a typically festive event highlighting the future of the league. The day was muted in honor of Tillman. With five Marines around Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the crowd was silent for the fallen solider.
"Pat Tillman personified the best values of America and of the National Football League," said the commissioner, who wore a black ribbon and a Cardinals helmet pin with a No. 40 on it.
The chant of "U.S.A." by the crowd was earth shattering, not just in the Madison Square Garden Theatre, but in the hearts and minds of everyone watching
Tillman was what was great about the draft -- an afterthought who was selected in the seventh and final round who never was supposed to get even a sniff of the NFL life.
While few expected him to even make the team, Tillman became a star -- his 224 tackles in 2000 was a Cardinals record, and the St. Louis Rams wanted to award him a $9 million contract when he became a free agent.
His loyalty prevented him from taking the money and kept him in Arizona.
His loyalty is why we loved him and not just his allegiance to a bad football team, but an allegiance to us, the fans.
As I drove with a friend to school Friday morning, listening to others remember what Tillman meant for them, it didn't set on what we truly will be missing. When it did hit me later in the day, after a press conference to announce a scholarship in his name and his number being retired, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
The suggestions for honoring Tillman have come in bunches -- from renaming Sun Devil Stadium in honor of the fallen solider to a statue next to the one of legendary head coach Frank Kush.
I don't think Tillman would want the widespread attention these would present. However, we should honor him in a slightly different way -- the Tillman Tower.
While the idea has already been thrown around, the University should consider renaming the tower, which Tillman meditated on high above the football stadium, in honor of the hero. His number, which will be retired at the Nov. 13 Washington State game, should shine bright above Sun Devil Stadium to continue his memory.
Even without the lights, I don't think any of us will ever forget.
Jeff Hoodzow is a journalism sophomore. Reach him at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
