ASU senior D.J. Foster grew up an ASU fan. He grew up watching him. He idolized him.
ASU redshirt senior Jordan Simone became a Sun Devil by following his guidelines of hard work, academics and service.
Everywhere you look when watching the ASU football program, you see his legacy.
It's on their jerseys, advertising, stadium plating and even the tunnel players run out from to start the game.
The impact former Sun Devil Pat Tillman has had on the program and the nation exceeded his prematurely short lifetime through the development of Pat's Run.
Pat's Run, sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation, is a 4.2-mile run to raise funds for Tillman Scholars, students who "strive to make a significant impact for our country and communities," according to the official site.
The 4.2 miles is representative of the No. 42 jersey worn by Tillman during his tenure at ASU.
Tillman, known as a fiery personality with a blue-collar work ethic, elected to pass up millions in a new NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals in order to serve his country after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Tillman was killed in action by friendly fire on April 22, 2004, but his legacy lives on in the current Sun Devil Football program.
Players typically are active participants in the events, usually waiting at the finish line to greet participants once they finish the race. Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici is expected to lead the children's version of the race this year.
This year, however, two Sun Devils have decided to go the extra mile (4.2 miles, to be exact).
Foster and Simone, two of the senior leaders of the program in the eyes of coach Todd Graham, announced that they will participate in the 2015 Pat's Run.
Foster, a Scottsdale native out of Saguaro High School, grew up with the Sun Devil program and the legacy that Tillman left behind.
"(Pat Tillman) represents the way we play, the way we live our life as a football player here," Foster said. "We have that name with us. If you're an ASU student athlete, an ASU football player, you try to represent yourself with class on and off the field."
He said his style of play has been heavily influenced by Tillman's wild, passionate style.
"Just to play with the same passion that he did, have that motivation," Foster said. "You go out there and give everything to your teammates."
Foster said he wanted to finally participate given that it's his senior year.
"It's our last year here, and for the past three years, we just had the whole football team waiting by the finish line and I always wanted to be a part of the race," Foster said. "It was kind of my way of giving back to the people and back to Pat Tillman, just in memory of him."
Foster's roommate, Simone, took a much different path to the ASU football program. After transferring from Washington State, Simone earned his way from walk-on to scholarship player to eventual starter.
Tillman followed a similar route, receiving the final scholarship ASU had for its recruiting class before starring as a Sun Devil.
This spring, Simone was one of few players to be honored by wearing the camouflage Pat Tillman No. 42 jersey at spring practice. The jersey symbolizes three of the things Tillman represented to the program: hard work on the field, in academics and in service to others.
"It's an unbelievable honor just to have that jersey," Simone said. "What that jersey stands for: character, discipline and being smart. Everything in the community, on the field and in the classroom is what that jersey stands for."
For Simone and Foster, the decision was a no-brainer.
"D.J. (Foster) has been here his whole life and never run it and I've been here three years, haven't ran in it once, so something we just wanted to do before we graduated was just run in Pat's Run," Simone said. "To not just wait at the finish line for everyone, but to actually get involved and donate money to the cause. Instead of just talking about it, being about it."
Despite the rigor of spring practice, Simone and Foster have done the extra work to prepare for the race.
"I'm worried about it," Simone said. "4.2 miles is no easy task. We run a lot out here, but it's just short sprints. ... We've biked a lot, but obviously it's a lot different."
Simone said he predicts he and Foster will finish the 4.2-mile race in about 40 minutes. Fittingly, Tillman wore No. 40 for the Cardinals in his final football game.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ellis Jefferson, a roommate of Foster and Simone, was supportive of his teammates' decision.
"That's huge," Jefferson said. "I'd do it if I could. I might mess around and sign up for it with them. We should have more players be doing that, it's the first time that two players have done that."
Jefferson said Tillman plays a role in everything the Sun Devils do, on and off the field.
"That's all Coach (Todd) Graham talks about," Jefferson said. "When I was on my recruiting trip, when I got here all they were talking about was Pat Tillman, about how he gave back. When I walk into the building, all I see is Pat Tillman."
For Simone, remembering Tillman's legacy also provides an opportunity for the football program to remain involved in the community.
"It'll be fun to run in it with D.J. (Foster), and hopefully we can get a little crowd to run in it with us," Simone said.
Foster said he knows he'll have some competition during the race.
"I'm sure we'll have some moms pushing their kids in their strollers passing me up," Foster joked. "It'll be a fun experience."
The 11th annual Pat's Run takes place Saturday, April 25, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, as well as at more than 40 shadow runs across the country.
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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