November 11, 2004


Honoring a hometown hero
Leland High School dedicates Pat Tillman Stadium

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

After stirring tributes from a grateful nation and the National Football League, it was time for the Leland High School community to pay its own homage to the late Pat Tillman.

NEW NAME, SAME PLACE. Leland’s scoreboard shows the newly renovated football facility’s name–Pat Tillman Stadium. Several 1993 teammates of Tillman’s removed the tarp covering the name at halftime following the video tribute to Tillman. Photo by Ron Stenn www.ActionPhotoDesign.com

On the night of Nov. 5, Leland paid tribute to Tillman in a pre-game ceremony by retiring his No. 42 jersey and renaming Leland’s newly renovated football field the Pat Tillman Stadium.

“Tonight we are here to honor a very special man who grew up in this community,” said Paul Yllana, Leland’s vice principal of activities and a former Leland teammate of Tillman’s, following opening comments from former Leland Principal Susan Votaw and U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren.

“He gave up the passion for his sport for something even more important, his passion for his country,” said Lofgren of Tillman, who enlisted in the Army Rangers with brother Kevin following the 9/11 attacks.

During his speech, Yllana handed Tillman’s parents, Pat Tillman Sr. and Mary Tillman, as well as Tillman’s widow, Marie Tillman, framed Tillman jerseys from his days as a player at Leland.

“Ten, 20 and 30 years from now, when kids ask who Pat Tillman was, we can teach those students the lessons Pat taught us,” Yllana said of Tillman, who was killed in combat earlier this year. “We can tell them about what Pat believed and what he was able to accomplish in his life.”

The event, which saw Leland fans, administrators and parents crowd the new stadium to full capacity, kicked off promptly at 6:15 p.m. with a greeting from former 49er great Ronnie Lott, who played MC for the evening.

Tillman, the player
Among the noted guests at the ceremony were nearly two-dozen teammates of Tillman, all members of the 1993 Leland Chargers football team that won the Division I CCS title under the direction of former Head Coach Terry Hardtke.

“Pat was selfless, humble, honorable and always had an honest opinion,” Hardtke said during the ceremony. “We can thank his parents and brothers for that.”

NFL’S BEST HONOR TILLMAN. Former 49er safety Ronnie Lott emceed the pre-game ceremony honoring the late Pat Tillman. Photo by Ron Stenn www.ActionPhotoDesign.com.

After recalling some of Tillman’s statistics during the 1993 season (31 touchdowns, including 14 as a running back) Hardtke recalled some humorous moments of the 1993 season with Tillman, including one story when Leland was playing against Andrew Hill High School.

With the Chargers holding a 50-0 lead at the half, Hardtke said he told Tillman to sit out on offense and defense for the second half. But when the third quarter started, Hardtke said he turned to the field and saw Tillman running back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Seeking an explanation following the play, Hardtke told the crowd that Tillman simply said; “You didn’t say anything about special teams, coach.”

Hardtke then said his one regret was taking Tillman’s football pads away from him during that game. With that, Hardtke’s son, B.J. and another 1993 teammate ran Tillman’s pads and helmet back to the last spot Tillman had the ball when his career at Leland ended–the front right corner of the end zone.

Summing up Tillman as a player, Hardtke simply said, “He was a coach’s dream.”

Former Leland teammate Jeff Hechtle followed Coach Hardtke in honoring Tillman at the podium.

“He was a man among boys and he lived his life that way,” said Hechtle.

In his speech, Hechtle recalled in awe Tillman’s athleticism and leadership on the 1993 Leland team.

“He made such incredible athletic moves and had such ability,” Hechtle added. “His ability to turn any situation into an enjoyable one was incredible.”

Pat Tillman Sr., scheduled to speak last at the event, instead went ahead of Tillman teammate B.J. Hardtke, and explained, “I didn’t want to go last.”

The elder Tillman then thanked all those involved in the jersey retirement and stadium naming ceremony.

“I’m very flattered by it,” Tillman Sr. said. “He will be missed. Anyone who has had a conversation with him, you know what I mean.”

Tillman Sr. then recalled the days of his three sons playing at Leland’s football facility and the 1993 Leland championship team.

“Pat, Kevin and Rich were on these fields for somewhere around eight years,” he said. “…It’s important to notice that what these young boys do on this field has a lot to do with life.”

Of the 1993 team, Tillman said, “This was a group that fed off each other and I believe still call each other best friends today.”

Tillman, the man
While some were there to honor Tillman for his days as a Leland football player, everyone at the podium was there to honor Tillman, the man. Tillman passed up a $3.6 million contract offer from the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army, before dying on the battlefields of Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, and quickly became a national symbol of pride and sacrifice.

“Pat Tillman was a man who believed in his convictions,” said Yllana before the ceremony. “He believed in things so strongly that he was willing to act on them. He’s one of those rare people that goes for those things that he believes in.”

The ceremony was followed by a football match-up featuring Leland taking on Piedmont Hills in a Mount Hamilton Division game, the only game played this year at Pat Tillman Stadium. Members of the U.S. Army presented the colors before the start of the game, while Rian Rodriguez played the national anthem on trumpet.

“He was just a great person,” said Coach Hardtke after the ceremony. “He was truly like a son to me, and he hung around the house a lot so I saw him all the time … this is a very special night for me.”

At halftime, former 49er tight end and class of 1981 Leland alumnus Brent Jones spoke of Tillman and recalled “being in awe” of Tillman. Following his career at Leland, Tillman went on and accumulated a 3.84 GPA as a student-athlete at Arizona State University before being the 226th player picked in the NFL draft in 1998. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches, the undersized Tillman excelled on the football field as a safety for the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones’ comments were followed by a video tribute to Tillman, featuring images of the Leland football standout on the football field during the 1993 season.

After the video tribute, members of the 1993 Leland football team removed a tarp and unveiled the stadium’s new scoreboard and stadium name, Pat Tillman Stadium.

“He’s going to be a real hard guy to forget,” said Coach Hardtke, who coached at Leland 1981 through 1999.

“People will talk about him and they’ll tell their children about him … he’s going to be someone that will be in history books.”

Following a 27-7 Leland High School win, the night ended with members of the U.S. Army recruiting station in Almaden lowering the American flag while Rodriguez played “Taps” on his trumpet.

When asked before the ceremony how Tillman would feel about the ceremony, Yllana replied, “Pat would’ve been flattered, but Pat’s not one of those guys that would’ve loved all the attention.”

As the night wore on, it became clear that Tillman’s larger-than-life persona transcended the football field, affecting the lives of those he knew best.

“I did very little for Pat Tillman,” said Coach Hardtke during the pre-game ceremony, “but he gave me great memories that will live on forever.”