Pat Tillman Foundation Draws 30,000 Runners to Tempe for Annual Tribute

More than 30,000 people gathered in Tempe, Arizona, to participate in Pat's Run, the primary fundraising event for the Pat Tillman Foundation. The 4.2-mile run and walk concluded inside Arizona State University's football stadium, honoring the late athlete and soldier on what would have been his 50th birthday.

The event, which began with 5,000 participants in 2004, has expanded to include over 30 satellite runs across the country. Katherine Steele, the foundation's chief executive and a Tillman Scholar, noted that the organization focuses on investing in leadership. Since creating the Tillman Scholars program in 2008, the group has grown to more than 1,000 members who work as doctors, scientists, and entrepreneurs.

Pat Tillman left a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve as an Army Ranger after the attacks on September 11, 2001. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. His mother, Mary Tillman, described him as someone who lived his life to the fullest and held himself to high standards. "He was harder on himself than he was on other people," she said.

A bronze statue of Tillman stands at Arizona State, where players touch it before games. The 6-foot-2 figure was funded by alumnus Arthur Pearce and designed by artist Jeff Carol Davenport. Davenport, who works in a studio north of Phoenix, created the statue based on a photograph provided by Mary Tillman showing the back of her son walking out of the locker room.

Tillman's legacy extends to naming traditions across the region. In Santa Rosa, California, Jeff Okrepkie, an Arizona State alumnus, named his son Tillman. The boy, now 11, was named after the football player. His father said people often ask about the origin of the name. "It's they're proud that he was a part of what they're a part of," Okrepkie said.

Tributes to Tillman also appear on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge above Hoover Dam and in various schools and streets throughout Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals erected a separate eight-foot statue near the north gate of State Farm Stadium in 2006, depicting Tillman holding his helmet.

The foundation continues to support individuals who pursue knowledge and service, reflecting Tillman's belief in recognizing something larger than himself. The annual run remains a central event for the community that formed around his memory.