ARIZONA STATE FOOTBALL
A new tradition: ASU players enter Sun Devil Stadium past Pat Tillman statue
Chills. #ForksUp #BeatNMSU pic.twitter.com/bjJvmZApYS
— Sun Devil Football (@FootballASU) September 1, 2017
A day after unveiling the statue to honor late Sun Devil Pat Tillman, Arizona State began what will be tradition.
The Sun Devils entered the field in their 2017 opener against New Mexico State by running out of the tunnel at Sun Devil Stadium and past the statue that stands in his likeness.
Tillman played at Arizona State from 1994-97 and went on to play for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals before walking away from a multimillion contract to serve his country in wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Tillman became an Army Ranger in 2003 and served until being killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
“One of the reasons Pat is on every wall is he earned to be on every wall,” ASU head coach Todd Graham said a day prior at the unveiling. “He embodied what we are about. We’re trying to teach guys to win and be a champion in life and that’s what we’re here to celebrate. That’s what Pat’s life was all about.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story
