Pat Tillman, brother leave pro sports to “make a difference” in army

Tribune, The (San Luis Obispo, CA) – Thursday, July 10, 2003
Author: Brian Milne The Tribune

It may be hard for some to believe, but there are certain rules to this profession we call sports writing. Avoid cliches like the plague. Stay away from excessive adverbs and those annoying, maddening and often bothersome adjectives.

Steer clear of starting sentences with and or but.

And fragments.

I’ve broken nearly every rule in the handbook in my day, including all of the above in just five sentences.

But there is one sports writing rule I’ve never broken and never will: Comparing the games people play to war.

Until grenades begin exploding on the 50-yard line or missiles begin whizzing by the mound, warfare should never be used as a metaphor for a sporting event.

To do so would be a disgrace to anyone who’s ever enlisted, including those athletes who have bravely done so.

Jocks-turned-soldiers like Kevin Tillman , a former Cal Poly baseball star who just recently returned stateside from Operation Iraqi Freedom with his brother Pat . The two will be honored at next week’s ESPN ESPY Awards.

Kevin, an all-conference second baseman for the Mustangs in 2001, gave up a minor league career in the Cleveland Indians organization to enlist in the Army in the wake of the World Trade Center disaster.

It was the third time he had turned down a chance to play professional baseball. He had been drafted by the Houston Astros out of high school and the Anaheim Angels while at Arizona State in 1999, but insisted on earning his college degree.

“Kevin Tillman is one of the most unique

individuals I’ve ever met in my life,” said Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price, who coached Tillman at Cal Poly. “He was a young guy who wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do with his life, but he wanted to make a difference out there. I’ve never seen anything like what he’s done in my life. He’s just an amazing story.”

Pat Tillman made their story draw national attention when he walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist with his younger brother.

Both opted for a uniform that, to them, really meant something, committing to three-year military terms and becoming part of the U.S. Army Rangers team, considered by many to be among the most elite combat soldiers in the world.

Both went on to serve in the Middle East and witnessed the war as we didn’t know it.

While the Tillman brothers saw the reality of war first hand, we often saw a war that was sanitized and embellished with a veneer of glory and patriotism.

But neither Kevin nor Pat will utter a word about what they saw in Iraq and want no part of the spotlight ESPN and the media have tried to thrust upon them.

Kevin is “a real humble kid,” said Dick Morrow, an administrative assistant to the Cal Poly baseball team who has followed the team since he played third base for the Mustangs during the 1950s. “I just can’t say enough about Till. It’s unusual for someone to give up a promising pro contract like he did, to fight for his country. And to do it in the special forces like he did is the hardest way to do it, but that’s the only way Till would have want it.”

Since enlisting in the Army, the brothers have refused all media interviews, a policy they still enforce.

They’ve even declined to attend ESPN’s 2003 ESPY Awards ceremony where they will be awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which is presented annually to individuals whose contributions transcend sports.

The brothers will remain stationed near Tacoma, Wash., where they will soon participate in a grueling, three-month-long elite Ranger training regimen.

“To tell you the truth, the boys are not too pleased about the ESPY thing,” father Patrick Tillman said in a rare interview with the Arizona Republic. “But I am. I’m very happy about it. I’m proud.”

Patrick Tillman said the award will be accepted by Richard Tillman , Kevin and Pat ’s younger brother, Wednesday during the live ESPY Awards telecast.

Kevin and Pat ’s parents as well as other family members are expected to be on hand for the presentation.

“The Tillman brothers’ story is remarkably inspiring,” senior vice president for ESPN Original Entertainment Ron Semiao said in a statement. “They turned their backs on stardom and potential fortune, dedicated themselves to a larger cause and never once sought glory or recognition. Pat and Kevin’s approach of leading by example is reminiscent of the way Arthur Ashe lived his life and like Arthur, the Tillmans’ decisions have had a profound impact.”

A tribute piece on the Tillman brothers is expected to accompany the presentation.

ESPN officials said the piece will include comments from the family and others – marking one of the few times that family and friends have spoken publicly about Pat and Kevin’s situation.

But don’t expect to hear any war stories.

Patrick Tillman , an attorney in Alameda, refuses to elaborate about what his sons saw overseas, other than to say, “That’s something they won’t talk about very much.”

– Brian Milne covered college sports for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is now a WCBias.com representative, not that there’s anything wrong with McClatchy’s business practices or the newspaper industry for that matter.