THERE'S NO DOUBT: A TRUE HERO WALKED IN OUR MIDST

December 28, 2004
By Mark Purdy
Mercury News Staff Columnist.

SOUTH BAY SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Pat Tillman grew up in San Jose, riding his bike with friends from the Almaden Valley high into the nearby hills.

His life ended 27 years after it began, seven months ago on a steep and rocky hillside in Afghanistan.

In between those peaks, there wasn't much valley. The sadness is, we will never know how many more mountains he might have climbed.

Ever since Tillman was killed while performing his duty as an Army Ranger, words upon words have been spoken about him and his sacrifice. But the ones that haunt me most were voiced at Tillman's memorial service here in May.

Those words came from Jake Plummer, the Denver Broncos quarterback who played with Tillman at Arizona State and with the Arizona Cardinals. Plummer was reminiscing about the late-night discussions he and Tillman would have over a few beers.

The two men would debate football. Then politics. Then books or the media or movies or women or whatever. Tillman would push and probe and ponder and opine. Plummer nearly always felt overmatched.

"You'd walk way from one of those sessions," Plummer said, "and you would say to yourself: `Man, I've got to become more of a thinker.' To me, the saddest part of all is to not know what he planned next."

For sure, it would not have been a cliche and it would not have been boring. But since his death, Tillman's family has attempted to keep the focus on his life. I will attempt to do so today, with this modest tribute.

Tillman was the only possible choice as the Mercury News' 2004 South Bay Sports Person Of The Year. The vote, as always, was unanimous. I cast the only ballot.

Several years ago, I decided that with the San Jose area arriving as a distinct sports entity, we should annually recognize someone who best exemplified and represented the South Bay.

The honor can only go to a man or women with an authentic local connection -- who grew up or plays or coaches in the South Bay. And a person's community impact is as important as his or her impact on the playing field. Previous honorees have included soccer star Brandi Chastain, former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia and San Jose State's prosthetic football wonder, Neil Parry.

Tillman, though, resides in an almost entirely separate category. He ditched his rich NFL contract and volunteered to fight the war on terror -- without giving a single interview to explain why -- and sparked millions of those late-night discussions that he loved. He forced every American to do a conscience check.

I didn't really know Tillman. I was only part of a few brief locker-room interviews with Tillman, who played at Leland High School. But I could tell he was a Silicon Valley citizen all the way. Tillman thought outside the box, had a fearless bent to take risks, owned the confidence to overcome any doubters. That's how he succeeded as an undersized college and pro player.

We still don't know exactly what happened April 22, when a skirmish erupted as Tillman's unit patrolled near a Taliban hot spot. Tillman was shot in what the Army now calls a case of "friendly fire." And back home, his wife and parents and friends received the news that no family wants to hear.

Ever since, the Tillman family has kept its thoughts mostly private, showing respect for the families of other soldiers who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. The family's public spokesman has been Alex Garwood, Tillman's brother-in-law and friend. Garwood also chairs the Pat Tillman Foundation, which was formed to keep Tillman's spirit alive and moving in a productive direction.

"We wanted to do something unique, that wasn't a `me-too' kind of program," Garwood said. "There are a lot of worthy programs out there for soldiers and their families, and all of them are very good. But we wanted to come up with something that felt like Pat."

Garwood and the foundation board's solution was to develop a classroom-like workshop that can be held on college campuses. Students will learn leadership skills, then be asked to apply them to a cause for which the Tillman foundation might supply funding. That fits Pat's personality perfectly, said Garwood.

"He never told you what to do or what to think," Garwood said. "He wasn't arrogant enough to do that. He wanted you to think for yourself, then think about what you'd do about it, then act on it."

The pilot Tillman workshop is tentatively set for Arizona State next autumn. The idea is to gradually expand it to other campuses. For more information, consult the foundation's Web site (pattillmanfoundation.org).

After the emotional wringer of the past year, I wondered how Garwood might sum up his feelings and if there was anything he would like to say in print. He wanted to think about it for a while. Then he called back.

"To sum it up, I would just say thank you," Garwood said. "Thank you to the community for the support. Thank you to Pat Tillman, and thank you to his fellow soldiers. That's all."

It is common in America to talk about sports "heroes," but the term is an exaggeration at best, blasphemy at worst. There are no real "heroes" in sport. There are only sportsmen and sportswomen who may become heroes. But not very many.

Around here, we were lucky to have known one.

Contact Mark Purdy at mpurdy@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5092. Fax (408) 920-5244.