War Isn’t Their Kind of Game

Even people close to Pat Tillman, teammates who knew of his determination and patriotism, were startled when he left professional football to join the Army two years ago.

“To walk away from several million dollars and a life of relative ease, to put his neck on the line?” said Pete Kendall, who played with Tillman on the Arizona Cardinals. “You had to be surprised.”

Military historians agree. They say Tillman’s decision to join the elite Army Rangers recalls a bygone era when big-time athletes were willing -- even eager -- to serve.

His death in a firefight in Afghanistan on Thursday night also places him on a relatively short list of pro athletes killed in battle.

“What’s so unusual about Tillman is not that he gave up so much money,” said Richard H. Kohn, a professor of military history at the University of North Carolina. “It was that, at a time when neither the president nor anyone else was calling for mobilization or sacrifice, Tillman felt the call of his country.”

For pro athletes, this type of sacrifice was far more common during World War II.

The list of baseball players who served reads like a Hall of Fame roster.

Ted Williams became a Marine pilot. Warren Spahn was decorated for combat at the Battle of the Bulge. Yogi Berra served as a gunner’s mate on a boat during the invasion at Normandy.

They were joined by more than 600 men who played in the National Football League. Jack Lummus and Al Bozis, both with the New York Giants, were among 19 who died.

His legs blown off by a Japanese land mine at Iwo Jima, Lummus reportedly told medics: “Well, it looks like the Giants have lost a damn good end.”

Lummus received the Congressional Medal of Honor, as did Detroit Lion end Maurice Britt, who lost his right arm.

It was a function of the times, said Gary Bloomfield, author of “Duty, Honor, Victory,” a history of athletes in World War II. Leaders were calling for young men to mobilize and everyone -- including actors such as Jimmy Stewart -- responded.

“You saw similar things in the Korean War,” Kohn said. “Williams went back into flying as a Marine pilot. This was typical.”

The reverberations can still be felt -- San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds might not have surpassed Willie Mays in career home runs this season had Mays not spent two years of his prime in the military.

It was the Vietnam War that signaled a change.

A young heavyweight champion named Cassius Clay made headlines by resisting the draft. Later known as Muhammad Ali, he took his objection to the Supreme Court -- while banned from the sport -- and ultimately prevailed.

Others had their service deferred or found quiet ways to avoid battle. “You had a lot of professional athletes who managed to get slots in their local National Guard units,” Kohn said.

Players going to war became the exception. Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach served after graduating from the Naval Academy, his team shipping footballs to Vietnam so he could practice.

Only one active NFL player died.

Bob Kalsu, a lineman, was called up after his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills. Choosing not to defer, he was killed in 1970 when his artillery unit was pinned down by enemy fire on an isolated mountaintop.

Now, with no military draft, the chances were slim that a pro athlete -- or any celebrity earning millions of dollars -- would make such a commitment.

“Elvis Presley was my contemporary and can you imagine the most popular singer of a generation serving as an enlisted man?” asked Charles Moskos, a leading military sociologist at Northwestern University. “Can you imagine Eminem doing that today? That’s the contrast.”

The point was driven home for Tillman’s former teammate Friday.

“A lot of times in football, the analogies with war are thrown around freely,” Kendall said. “On a day like today, you see how hollow those ring.”

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Stars and their service

More than 600 NFL players served in World War II; of those, 19 died. Here is a selection of athletes and celebrities who have served in the military:

WWII/Korean War

Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves pitcher: Decorated for combat in WWII’s Battle of the Bulge.

Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox outfielder: Served as a U.S. Marine pilot during WWII and the Korean War.

Jack Lummus, N.Y. Giants end: Died in 1945 on Iwo Jima during WWII after stepping on a land mine. Received Congressional Medal of Honor.

Al Blozis, N.Y. Giants tackle: Killed in 1945 in France during WWII.

Yogi Berra, N.Y. Yankees: Gunner’s mate on boat during the Normandy invasion.

Vietnam War

Maurice Britt, Detroit Lions end: Lost right arm in war, received Congressional Medal of Honor.

Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys quarterback: Naval Academy graduate, served in Vietnam before joining the Cowboys in 1969.

Rocky Bleier, Pittsburgh Steelers running back: Drafted in 1968, nearly lost a foot on a land mine during Vietnam War.

Bob Kalsu, Buffalo Bills guard: First lieutenant, killed in Vietnam in 1970 following eight months of heavy combat.

Don Steinbrunner, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle: Killed in Vietnam in 1967 when his plane was shot down.

Celebrities

James Garner: Drafted for the Korean War; spent 14 months in Korea and was awarded two Purple Hearts for wounds received during the war.

Elvis Presley: Inducted into Army in 1958, drove an Army jeep in Germany, discharged in 1960 with a Good Conduct medal.

Jimmy Stewart: Inducted into the Army Air Forces in 1941 and flew 20 combat missions in WWII. He was awarded several medals, was promoted to major in 1944. He remained in the reserve until he retired from service in 1968 as an Air Force Reserve brigadier general, the highest rank in the military ever achieved by a movie actor.

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Sources: Times research; NFL Hall of Fame; “Stars in Khaki”; “Stars in Blue”