I've Got Things to Do with My Life: Pat Tillman: The Making of an American Hero

Book Description
Pat Tillman never backed down from a challenge; in fact, he sought them out his entire life. That life ended tragically and heroically in Afghanistan in April 2004, after Tillman quit the National Football League to join the elite Army Rangers and serve his country in its war against terrorism. I’ve Got Things to Do with My Life is the inspirational story of Tillman’s incredible, heroic journey.


From the Inside Flap
When Bruce Snyder, Pat Tillman’s football coach at Arizona State University, told Pat he planned to redshirt him as a freshman—extending his eligibility for a year but also necessitating an additional year in college—Tillman said, "You can do whatever you want with me, Coach, but in four years, I’m gone. I’ve got things to do with my life." And Tillman wasn’t kidding. Through sheer drive and determination, he turned an overachieving college career into a long shot at NFL stardom, becoming a late-round pick by the hometown Cardinals in the 1998 draft. Not only did the rookie make it through his first training camp, he eventually earned a starting role and, over time, became one of the league’s top players at his position. But Tillman’s will to succeed was not confined to the football field. Deeply affected by the horrific events of September 11, 2001, he turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals, quit the NFL and, with his brother Kevin, enlisted in the army for a nation at war. Not just any army unit, either, but the hardcore, hard-as-nails Rangers, training for dangerous special-ops combat that would eventually put him in harm’s way in the sands of Iraq and, later, in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. Real heroes never think of themselves as heroes. They see themselves as ordinary people performing acts any other right-minded person would do if in their shoes. Save the baby from the burning house. Jump into the foxhole and sprawl across the bodies of your buddies, shielding them from the grenade’s flying shrapnel. Bust down the cockpit door of your hijacked jetliner and dive the plane into the ground before it can crash into the U.S. Capitol. True heroes are ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Pat Tillman was just such an American hero, killed in action on April 22, 2004. I’ve Got Things to Do with My Life is the inspirational story of this exceptionally heroic life of victory and valor.


About the Author
Mike Towle is a Notre Dame graduate and former army officer who has been covering sports since he was 15 years old. Among the publications he has worked for covering major college football and the NFL are the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The National. Towle has authored more than a dozen books, including works on Johnny Unitas, Ben Hogan, Roger Staubach, Walter Payton, and Vince Lombardi. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.


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But Tillman's will to succeed was not confined to the football field. Deeply affected by the horrific events of September 11, 2001, he turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals, quit the NFL, and, with his brother Kevin, enlisted in the army for a nation at war. Not just any army unit, either, but the hardcore, tough-as-nails Rangers, training for dangerous special-ops combat that would eventually put him in harm's way in the sands of Iraq and, later, in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. Real heroes never think of themselves as heroes. They see themselves as ordinary people performing acts any other right-minded person would do if in their shoes. Save the baby from the burning house. Jump into the foxhole and sprawl across the bodies of your buddies, shielding them from the grenade's flying shrapnel. Bust down the cockpit door of your hijacked jetliner and fly the plane into the ground before it can crash into the U.S. Capitol. True heroes are ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Pat Tillman was just such an American hero, killed in action on April 22, 2004. I've Got Things to Do with My Life is the inspirational story of his exceptionally heroic life of victory and valor.


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