April 20, 2006

Sharks partner with Pat Tillman Foundation to sponsor
San Jose run benefiting local high school students

The San Jose Sharks have announced a partnership with the Pat Tillman Foundation to sponsor a 4.2 mile run and walk on April 30. The event is open to people of all ages, with a special 0.42 mile kid’s fun run for boys and girls 8-years-old and younger.

Tillman, a native of San Jose, attended Leland High School where he played football before attending Arizona State University. There, he played defense for three and half years, graduating with a 3.97 grade-point average and drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. He gave up his multi-million dollar contract to serve as a U.S. Army Ranger following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, joining them in July 2002. Tillman was killed in eastern Afghanistan on April 22, 2004

Tempe, Ariz. hosted the Pat Tillman inaugural run last year with a turnout of nearly 6,000 runners, raising more than $150,000. The event spreads to San Jose this year with an expected 5,000 runners coming to Leland High School for the event. The race will begin on Via Valiente in Almaden and culminate on the 42-yard line of Pat Tillman Stadium at Leland High School. All distances commemorate the number 42 – the number Tillman wore playing football through high school and college.

Registration for the even begins at 6:30 a.m. on April 30, with the 4.2 mile run/walk beginning at 8 a.m. The kids’ race will begin at 9:45 a.m. followed by an awards ceremony at 10:30 a.m., which includes refreshments and entertainment. The San Jose Sharks, as the presenting sponsor, join with the Almaden Times Weekly and other sponsors to bring this event commemorating the native hero to the Bay Area.

Public service announcements hosted by Sharks players Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Scott Parker were shown during the April 15 and April 17 Sharks games to inform fans about the event. Registration forms and Pat Tillman Foundation information will be provided in the luxury suites and at the Sharks Foundation booth. Many of the players’ spouses and girlfriends will take part in the event, both volunteering and racing.

All money raised by the event will stay in San Jose and be applied to the Pat Tillman leadership curriculum at Leland High School.

The Pat Tillman Foundation was created by Tillman’s family following his death. The foundation seeks to continue the legacy of Tillman’s passion and leadership skills by encouraging the development of young people’s drive to change themselves and the world around them.

To find out more, visit the Internet at www.patsrun.com.