Pat Tillman Memorialized at Arizona State Tunnel

The memory of Pat Tillman will be present for every football player at Arizona State

San Jose native Pat Tillman has been honored in a new way by his college Alma mater.

Arizona State University dedicated the tunnel between the locker room and the football field to Tillman. It's called the Tillman Tunnel and it was redesigned this summer.

The tunnel has many features including his name, his number and a huge image of Tillman in his college uniform on the doors that lead to the football field at Sun Devil Stadium. 

"The way Pat lived – the Sun Devil Way – is something we teach our team about every day," Sun Devil's coach Todd Graham said. "Now the final thing they will see before taking the field is the embodiment of everything he stood for – and everything we hope to emulate and accomplish."

The tunnel was completed in time for Thursday night's season opener against Sacramento State.

“Pat’s principles are such an important part of everything we do,“ Vice President for University Athletics Steve Patterson said. “The values he represented and the tradition he built upon helped bridge the gap between the field and the community, so it is fitting that this tunnel bears his legacy.”

In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks Tillman gave up his career in the NFL and enlisted in the United States Army.

He died in Afghanistan in an incident of friendly fire in April 2004.

Tillman grew up in San Jose.

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