Bill Knight
El Paso Times

Special to the Times Former Arizona State linebacker Pat Tillman played for the Sun Devils in the 1997 Sun Bowl, helping his team to a 17-7 win against Iowa. He has been honored as a Legend of the Sun Bowl.

He will watch the game today, almost certainly watch in a wave of memories. Fun times. Special times. Fun and special memories.

Pat Tillman Sr. came to El Paso from his home in San Jose as the Vitalis Sun Bowl celebrates his son's football memory, honoring Pat Tillman as a Legend of the Sun Bowl.

Clutching a 1997 Sun Bowl cap Thursday, Tillman Sr. said, "I'm very flattered they would consider him. It's an odd coincidence that Arizona State was here in 1997 and they are here again when they are honoring him. I guess the stars and planets were aligned."

Pat Tillman played for Arizona State in the 1997 Sun Bowl, helping the Sun Devils to a 17-7 victory against Iowa. He was an undersized second-team All-American linebacker ... the kind of player that every coach loves, the kind of player every true football fan loves. He played the game with a passion and a fury -- a young man who played the game with a relentless fury, a passion that created loud noises every time he made a hit.

Of course, a nation beyond football fans now knows of Tillman. He turned down a three year, $3.6 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the elite fighting unit, the Army Rangers. Sadly, tragedy struck the Tillman family -- as it has so many soldiers and their families.

Tillman, 27 and an elite athlete, student and soldier, was killed last April in Afghanistan.

But this is about football, about honoring a special football player ... and about the memories football can create.

"We came out here for the '97 game," his father said. "Pat had a good time and he played well. We remembered everyone being very nice. I remember him doing well in that game. He didn't win any honors, but he played well. Of course, I was watching him. I watched him play in high school, at Arizona State and with the Cardinals. It always seemed the same, whether it was on a high school field, in college or with the Cardinals. It was just fun."

Tillman went on to have an excellent four-year career with Arizona. He returned to his old high school position of safety and in 2000 he set a Cardinal record with 224 tackles. He had grown all the way to 200 pounds by then.

Did it surprise his father that an undersized college linebacker found a way to not only make an NFL roster, but to excel?

Laughing, Dad said, "No. I knew he would find a way to play."

Perhaps Tillman's college coach, Bruce Snyder summed it up best. Snyder told Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden, "I told NFL teams that if you don't want him on your team, don't draft him, because he won't let you cut him."

Alex Garwood, executive director of the Pat Tillman Foundation, said, "My wife and his wife were sisters. So I was fortunate enough to call him my friend. If I had to sum up Pat in one word, it would be passionate. I wouldn't want to have to sum him up in one word, but if I did, it would be passionate. He was passionate about everything he did."

Today, on what will undoubtedly be another sun splashed desert southwest day, Pat Tillman Sr. will watch a little football and remember -- remember the good times, the sheer fun of father watching son play and excel at a beautiful game.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.