Pat Tillman is essentially the Knute Rockne of Arizona State football, the central figure that will be as important to the program 100 years from now as he is today. And while Notre Dame will wear Rockne-themed uniforms later this season, so, too, will Arizona State.
The program revealed Tillman-centric uniforms on Monday for their Nov. 4 game with Colorado, based on the uniform Tillman wore as a member of the U.S. Army while fighting in Afghanistan.
Arizona State new @adidasFballUS uniforms honoring Pat Tillman #TBG pic.twitter.com/6B47GgYX4C
— The Best Gear (@TheBestGear) October 23, 2017
.@FootballASU Honors Veterans with Special Edition “Brotherhood” @adidasFballUS Uniformshttps://t.co/kH4qU12BAO#teamadidas #PT42 pic.twitter.com/Ys8easMbFY
— PabloMurphy® (@PabloMurphy) October 23, 2017
Arizona State will honor Pat Tillman Nov. 4 vs. Colorado. Back of camouflage helmet lists all ASU player/coach who served in U.S. Military pic.twitter.com/pUorumcqtc
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 23, 2017
Tillman played linebacker at Arizona State from 1994-97 (he was named the Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior) and then spent four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before the events of 9/11 inspired him to join the U.S. Army. He was a member of the Army Rangers before he was killed in action in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, at age 27.
Arizona State unveiled a Tillman statue at Sun Devil Stadium at its season-opening win over New Mexico State.
“Pat spent his whole life trying to be the best person he could possibly be,” Kevin Tillman, Pat’s brother, said at the unveiling. “He didn’t focus on money, he didn’t focus on fame, he didn’t focus on a pretty statue. It was, ‘How can I make myself a better person in all these different facets of my life?’ And ASU gave him an opportunity to do that.”
