8th annual Pat’s Run offers more than exercise
Aaron Webster
The Pat Tillman Foundation is hosting its 8th annual Pat’s Run that is held annually around April 22, the day Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan.
The Pat Tillman Foundation was created by the friends and family of Pat Tillman to celebrate him not only as a great athlete but as an even better person and friend.
Tillman grew up in northern California. Entering college, he walked onto the football team at Arizona State University.
Everyone said that Tillman was too small to be a college football player but in his senior season at ASU, Tillman was named Pac-10 player of the year.
Tillman was eventually drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL draft.
Again, he was told that he was too small to play in the league, but in just two season with the Cardinals, Tillman was named to the NFL All-Pro team.
Tillman became beloved by the fans of Arizona for his hustle and his long gold hair that would fly around when he was going to make a tackle.
Coaches and players loved Tillman for his dedication.
After the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, Pat, along with his brother Kevin, enlisted in the Army Rangers Program.
While serving in Afghanistan in April of 2004, Tillman was killed by friendly fire.
Each year, more and more participants join in the race but some come to just support Pat Tillman and the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Pat’s Run winds 4.2 miles around the streets of Tempe, ending on the 42 yard line of Sun Devil Stadium.
All the proceeds from Pat’s Run directly support the Pat Tillman Scholars program.
The Pat Tillman Scholars offers scholarships to active military and veterans who are planning to attend college or who are currently enrolled.
Since the program’s inception, the Pat Tillman Scholars have invested over two million dollars of financial support.
Pat’s Run will be April 21, starting at 7 a.m. at Sun Devil Stadium.
