If you’re not already familiar with Pat Tillman’s story, you’re about to learn about an American hero.
Back in May 2002, Tillman, then a 26-year-old NFL safety with the Arizona Cardinals, decided to pause his football career to enlist in the U.S. Army due to the fallout of September 11. Tillman served several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before falling victim to friendly fire, losing his life at the age of 27.
Tillman posthumously earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals for his service and has since been honored in a number of ways. From the NFL placing a memorial decal on each player’s helmet in 2004 to both the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State Sun Devils retiring his jersey number (40 in NFL, 42 in college), plus State Farm Stadium’s bronze statue of Tillman, his legacy has carried on in a number of ways.
There’s also the Pat Tillman Foundation, which now holds an annual Pat’s Run featuring as many as 28,000 participants to help provide a support system for U.S. military families and veterans. They’ve also started a Tillman Scholars Program to help cover tuition and book expenses for students, which has received as much as $24 million in support.
Tillman passed away in 2004, but as you can see, his legacy lives on. While Tillman never had a chance to become a household name in the game of football, his impact hasn’t been forgotten.
Twenty years after his passing and nearly 30 years after he started his college football career, Tillman is still very revered. But you’d never guess that his Arizona State uniform now holds a record as the highest price paid for a college football jersey. Yet, that’s exactly what’s happened.
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Pat Tillman’s Arizona State jersey fetches over $135K in public auction
According to Darren Rovell of Cllct, Pat Tillman’s game-worn Arizona State Rose Bowl jersey sold for $136,642 on Saturday night via the Goldin online auction. Not only is the final price ending in 42 a nice touch, being that it matches his jersey number, the amount also sets a new record price for the sale of a college football jersey in world history.
Pat Tillman’s 1997 game-used Rose Bowl jersey sold for $136,642 last night at @GoldinCo, an all-time record price paid for a college football jersey. pic.twitter.com/QflxBWGQiH
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 2, 2024
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