Fansided

25 best Pac-12 football players of the last 25 years

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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UNITED STATES – JANUARY 01: Coll, Football: Rose Bowl, Arizona State’s Pat Tillman (42) in action, making tackle vs Ohio State’s Matt Keller (23), Pasadena, CA 1/1/1997 (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X51981 TK1 R2 F26)
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 01: Coll, Football: Rose Bowl, Arizona State’s Pat Tillman (42) in action, making tackle vs Ohio State’s Matt Keller (23), Pasadena, CA 1/1/1997 (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X51981 TK1 R2 F26) /

25. Pat Tillman, LB, Arizona State

Prior to his heroic decision to leave football and join the United States Army, Tillman excelled as a star linebacker for the Sun Devils from 1994-1997.

Tillman began his football career at Leland High School in California, where he won a state championship. At 5-11, Tillman was considered too small for his position and was not recruited heavily, but secured a scholarship to begin playing at Arizona State in 1994.

After spending two seasons as a rotation player, Tillman really took off starting in 1996. Tillman finished second on the team in tackles and racked up four interceptions as a junior before piling up 93 tackles, including 15 for a loss, in his final season in Tempe.

That earned Tillman second-team All-American honors, in addition to the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Arizona State went undefeated in the regular season in 1996 and narrowly missed out at a shot at the national championship with a 20-17 loss in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State.

Tillman defied expectations in the NFL with a solid career after being selected in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. The Sun Devils legend gave up his football life to join the Army Rangers in 2002 and was tragically killed in Afghanistan two years later.

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