Given the Arizona Cardinals pending appearance in Super Bowl XLIII this Sunday, this is probably the proper time for Pat Tillman to make his appearance here on 42.Tillman, an Army Ranger who passed up a multimillion dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve his country was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. Prior to his all to brief stint in the NFL he patrolled the defensive backfield for Arizona State from 1994 through 1997, helping the Sun Devils to the 1997 Rose Bowl.
After the conclusion of the 2004 Arizona State football season, the The Number no longer appears on the Sun Devil roster as the jersey worn by Pat Tillman was retired. Connor Banks, a senior defensive end from Richmond, California, wore The Number for the Sun Devils during the 2004 season as a tribute to Tillman. Prior to each game, Banks carried the American flag out of the team tunnel and onto Frank Kush Field.
On Saturday, April 15, 2006, more than 10,000 participants turned out for Pat's Run in Tempe, Arizona. The racers traveled along the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) course around Tempe Town Lake to the finish line, on the 42-yard (38 m) line of Sun Devil Stadium.
