PHOENIX — Just before the Super Bowl kicks off, a group of stars you don’t know will take the field.
The NFL selected four Tillman Scholars to serve as honorary captains for the game.
The Pat Tillman foundation told scholars they were meeting with new investors. In reality, it was to get them in one spot for a Super Bowl surprise.
J.J. Watt made the big announcement.
“I was completely caught off guard,” said Dave Prakesh, who served for 12 years as a flight surgeon in the Air Force. He was selected as a Tillman Scholar when he decided to go back to business school. He says it’s Pat Tillman himself who inspired him to serve.
“I followed what he had done, and then how he had served and how, you know, his life was tragically ended. And it's around that time, I was, I had become a doctor, and I said, 'look, I got to do more.' And so I ended up putting my medical career aside and said, 'I'm going to serve in the Air Force,'” Prakesh said.
Next to Prakesh on the field will be Robert Ham.
He spent 10 years in the Army and learned of Tillman’s story while serving in Afghanistan.
“What Pat did is the ultimate American story,” said Ham. “It is what it means to have sacrifice and courage.”
That’s what the Tillman Foundation is all about. They award scholarships to military members and their spouses committed to carrying on Tillman’s legacy.
Ham and Prakesh say that while they’re excited for the coin flip, they’re hoping it sends a message to those watching worldwide.
“The biggest honor is just representing Tillman’s Legacy, the Foundation, and the Scholar community,” Prakesh said.
The Tillman Foundation is already looking for its next group of scholars. You can find out more information to apply or donate here.
