Cardinals Honor Tillman

The Arizona Cardinals will induct the late Pat Tillman into their Ring of Honor this Sunday. As most Americans know, Pat Tillman gave up a multimillion dollar NFL contract with the Cardinals to join the Army shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our nation. Tillman, who would have turned 30 last Monday, was tragically killed by friendly fire more than two years ago while serving in Afghanistan. The incident remains under investigation by the Army.

Tillman was drafted in the seventh round in 1998 out of Arizona State University where he was voted Pac-10 defensive player of the year. He started for three years as strong safety for the Cardinals.

Tillman will become the 11th individual inducted into the team's "Ring of Honor" during a halftime ceremony at Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"We honor a lot of individuals for what they accomplished on the field," Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said. "But what he did away from the field, displaying his conviction and principles and what he stood for, is what you'd hope every member of the organization would stand for."

Prior to Sunday’s kickoff, a private ceremony will be held to dedicate the outdoor pedestrian walkway surrounding the stadium, which is known as the Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza. The memorial includes a large white bronze sculpture of Tillman on the eastern side and a circular reflection pond on its western side.

The sculpture is approximately eight-feet tall, weighs over 500 pounds, and took nearly nine months to complete. After an extensive search, the Cardinals selected artists Omri Amrany and Gary Tillery to create the sculpture. Serving as a backdrop to the sculpture is a nine-foot tall curved wall made of black concrete that measures 42 feet across, symbolic of Tillman’s jersey number at Arizona State.

The brimming pool of water on the western side consists of a large 60-foot circular pond made of black concrete and stainless steel. Intended to create a pool of tranquility, it has a surface area of 2,300 square feet. To the west of the memorial is a grove of 40 Oak trees that symbolizes the jersey number Tillman wore as an Arizona Cardinal and the entire area is surrounded by a grove of Ash and Oak trees.

The Cardinals have already retired Tillman's #40 jersey.

You can watch the Cardinal's video tribute to Pat Tillman here.