Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

On August 7, 1998, as Tillman proves himself in the NFL, al-Qaeda attacks kill thousands at American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and bin Laden administers his fatwa against America and its allies. Mired in the impeachment trial over his sex scandal, President Clinton and his administration decide to perform air strikes against two Taliban strongholds, rather than beginning an all-out conflict. One of these targets is Zawar Kili, an infamous bunker the Soviets failed to destroy with multiple attempts. The missile strikes sent by Clinton are unsuccessful, killing only six jihadis in the compound and a civilian over the Pakistani border. Some of the missiles don’t detonate, and bin Laden sells them to China for millions. The failed attack only increases bin Laden’s stature.

After staying faithful to one another through college, Marie and Tillman reunite in 1998 when she moves to Phoenix to share the NFL rookie’s one-bedroom apartment. Tillman plays well but is benched for the pivotal five remaining games of the regular season, to his disappointment. The Cardinals shock fans when they go on to the post-season, winning one game before falling to the Vikings. It is their best season in 14 years.

Tillman differs from other NFL players in many ways. He and Marie buy a modest house near the stadium, and he drives a used Volvo station wagon. He is a cat person, preferring them over all other animals, he says. In the off-season, he enrolls back at ASU to pursue a master’s degree in history. Marie reflects that they “never really fit in with the NFL lifestyle,” maintaining their high school friendships and activities, including hiking and cliff diving (100).

Other friends remember death defying jumps Tillman made from cliff edges into water, or even to the top of a pine tree over a canyon’s chasm: “Throughout his life he was constantly devising new challenges for himself, many of which were extremely dangerous,” but he didn’t do them to impress; rather, he did them for himself (104). Friends admonish him for taking extreme risks, especially with a lucrative NFL contract, but Tillman never receives injuries. He doesn’t want to stop challenging himself because he doesn’t want to lose his edge. People begin to take his seeming invincibility for granted. 

The Cardinals’ 1999 season is disappointing for fans and for Tillman in that he’s demoted to second string. However, his position is moved from free safety to strong safety, which suits his talents better. He learns how to play with more intelligence, rather than purely raw intensity. In the off-season, Tillman trains for a marathon amidst his first journey overseas to western Europe with Marie. Tillman details his trip in his journals, delighting in exploring the countries through his daily runs. He always challenges himself as much as possible, using the natural world as his jungle gym, with grace and intelligence.

At the end of the trip, they meet up with friends in Paris. Tillman gets drunk, getting them politely thrown out of the restaurant and throwing up all over Marie’s clothes later. He enjoys drinking with his friends immensely and never with any regrets, even when he gets obnoxious. Tillman never lets his hangovers get in the way of training. Despite his raucous behavior when drunk, friends fondly remember his vivacious, rowdy company and great conversation. He was the best company, his friends remember: “The drinking was better, the laughter was better—everything in life was just better when he was a part of it” (113).