TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – On the playing field where he had some of his brightest sports moments, Pat Tillman was remembered Saturday as a nonconformist who gave up his football career – and ultimately his life – to fight for his country.

Tillman, the first NFL player to die in combat since the Vietnam War, was honored Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium, where he played for Arizona State University and the Arizona Cardinals.

About 5,000 people attended the memorial, including Tillman’s widow, Maria, his parents and many former teammates and coaches.

Another service was held Monday in San Jose, Calif., his hometown.

An Army Ranger who turned away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to enlist after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Tillman was fatally shot April 22 in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

The Army posthumously promoted him to corporal and awarded him the Silver Star for valor and the Purple Heart, saying he was leading his team to help ambushed soldiers pinned down by enemy fire.

“These types of noble acts by men of Pat Tillman’s stature are going to reverberate for a long, long time,” said former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis, who choked back tears several times during his remarks.

“It is our duty to keep his spirit alive in our world,” McGinnis said.

Former Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder recalled the shock waves Tillman sent through his staff when, as a freshman, he refused to consider red-shirting and told the coach he had other things to do with his life than waste time.

“There is no redshirt year in life,” Snyder said.

Tillman graduated summa cum laude in marketing after 3 years and earned the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award in 1997. Snyder acknowledged that he learned something from the unconventional player who wore his hair long, disdained air conditioning and had a favorite perch atop the stadium light towers when he wanted to reflect.

“He didn’t live long, and that’s sad, but he cut a wide path,” Snyder said. “This guy cut a wide swath, and I think that’s all we all really hope for in our lives.”

The observance began with a flyover of F-16 fighters and concluded with a video tribute and the release of 27 white doves to symbolize each year of Tillman’s life.

Nineteen former NFL players were killed during World War II. Another NFL player, Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Bob Kalsu, died in Vietnam.