(1976-11-06)November 6, 1976 Fremont, California, U.S.
Died
April 22, 2004(2004-04-22) (aged 27) Spera, Afghanistan
Allegiance
United States
Service/branch
United States Army
Years of service
2002–2004
Rank
Corporal (posthumous)
Unit
2nd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment
Battles/wars
Iraq War War in Afghanistan †
Awards
Silver Star Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal
American football player
American football career
No. 40
Position:
Safety
Personal information
Height:
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:
202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:
Leland (San Jose, California)
College:
Arizona State (1994–1997)
NFL draft:
1998 / Round: 7 / Pick: 226
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (1998–2001)
Career highlights and awards
Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor
Arizona Cardinals No. 40 retired
First-team All-American (1997)
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (1997)
Arizona State Sun Devils No. 42 retired
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:
3
Total tackles:
374
Forced fumbles:
3
Fumble recoveries:
3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
College Football Hall of Fame
Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004) was an American professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as his subsequent death, were the subject of national attention. This increased after it was revealed that he was killed by friendly fire.[1]
Tillman played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning first-team All-American honors in 1997. After four seasons in the NFL, Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several combat tours before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. At first, the army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. A month later, on May 28, 2004, the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that he was actually killed by fire from his own side. The family and other critics allege that the Department of Defense delayed the disclosure until weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. military. In 2007, the Pentagon released a report ruling Tillman's death as accidental.
Tillman was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal. He also posthumously received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.
^Multiple sources:
Rickey, Carrie (September 2, 2010). "Pat Tillman Documentary Follows Family's Quest for Answers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
Fish, Mike (July 19, 2006). "A Case of Fratricide: Who Killed Pat Tillman?". ABC News. ESPN. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
"Soldier: Army ordered me not to tell truth about Tillman". CNN Inside Politics. April 25, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
information that a fellow soldier killed Tillman, especially to the Tillman family. Later, PatTillman's brother Kevin Tillman, who was also in the convoy traveling...
Ranger PatTillman, including his widow Marie Tillman, in the aftermath of his fratricide death in Afghanistan. In honor of his death, The PatTillman Foundation...
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of PatTillman, a 2009 book written by Jon Krakauer, is a biography of PatTillman, an American football player who left...
is about the death of professional-football-player-turned-Army-Ranger PatTillman in the War in Afghanistan, the coverup of the circumstances of his death...
Under the Banner of Heaven; and Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of PatTillman—as well as numerous magazine articles. He was a member of an ill-fated...
small part by fellow all-conference linebacker and close personal friend PatTillman. In the Rose Bowl, he scored a sensational 11-yard go-ahead touchdown...
Richard Tillman, brother of American football player and U.S. Army Ranger PatTillman This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name...
includes a composite steel and concrete arch bridge, the Mike O'Callaghan–PatTillman Memorial Bridge, 1,500 ft (460 m) downstream from the dam. With the opening...
Hendricks Award (2023) Lombardi Award (2023) Unanimous All-American (2023) PatTillman Defensive Player of the Year (2023) Morris Trophy (2023) Polynesian College...
Thorpe Award on December 8. In late January 2024, Taylor received the PatTillman Award, given annually by organizers of the East–West Shrine Bowl. Taylor...
Ordnance Dispoal soldier, Mason Heibel. In 2016, Marks received the PatTillman Award for Service at the 2016 ESPY Awards, and, as of 2022[update] the...
2018. "Jake Wood, disaster relief organizer and former Marine, to receive ESPYS PatTillman Award". Retrieved July 19, 2018. http://www.espn.com/espys/...
"Vikings". Four PatTillman Foundation scholars then served as honorary captains during the coin toss ceremony, honoring the memory of PatTillman, the former...
described being inspired by the alleged coverup of former sport star PatTillman being killed by his comrades. The film was screened at the Flyway Film...
Clay, Jr. raised questions about it at the congressional hearings over PatTillman's death. The autopsy report and photographs revealed Johnson had a broken...
Arizona from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line on the Mike O'Callaghan–PatTillman Memorial Bridge over the Colorado River and US 95 in Nevada from the...
The 2020 ESPY Awards were presented at the 28th annual ESPY Awards show, held on June 21, 2020 and broadcast on television nationwide in the United States...
Shelton and Jordin Sparks. In honor of the tragic death of former safety PatTillman, the Cardinals strengthened their relationship with members of the armed...
Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was named the PatTillman Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American in 2022. He...
selections. Among the most lauded players the school has produced are PatTillman, Terrell Suggs, Jake Plummer, Mike Haynes, Darren Woodson, Charley Taylor...
of Medicine from Harvard Medical School in 2016. Kim was a PatTillman Foundation "Tillman Scholar" selectee. In 2017, Kim completed his medical internship...
13, 1976 November 12, 2003 Suicide American actor 27 years, 213 days PatTillman November 6, 1976 April 22, 2004 Killed in action by friendly fire Professional...
exercise near Kandahar. Another case of such an accident was the death of PatTillman in Afghanistan, although the exact circumstances of that incident are...
Ontario Tillman, member of the Alabama House of Representatives PatTillman (1976–2004), American football player and soldier Paula Gately Tillman (born...
Global Information