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 heroism is not measured in touchdowns. Profound courage is not displayed by limping into Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Real sacrifice isn’t something that advances a runner in a baseball game. But that doesn’t mean that real heroes have not graced the World Series or been cheered in arenas and stadiums across the United States.
From Hall of Fame baseball legends like Ted Williams and Bob Feller to former NFL player Pat Tillman, there have been dozens of standout American athletes who left behind adoring crowds and traded in uniforms meant for games for ones that meant something much more.
“Combat is an experience that you never forget. A war teaches you that baseball is only a game, after all — a minor thing, compared to the sovereignty and security of the United States,” Feller later wrote for Military.com: “I once told a newspaper reporter that the bombing attack we lived through on the Alabama had been the most exciting 13 hours of my life. After that, I said, the pinstriped perils of Yankee Stadium seemed trivial.”
Here are 11 of the many athletes who risked — and, in some cases, lost — their lives to join the U.S. armed forces and serve their country.

• Pat Tillman

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  A standout college football player at Arizona State, Tillman was drafted into the NFL in 1998. After spending four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman walked away from the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2002 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. An Army Ranger, he was killed in a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
• Ted Williams

  Regarded by many as the greatest hitter of all time, Williams twice interrupted his Hall of Fame career with the Boston Red Sox to serve his country. He missed the 1943-45 seasons after enlisting in the Navy reserves in May 1942. His high marks during training as an aviator earned him a commission in the Marine Corps, according to Military.com. Williams resumed his MLB career in 1946, but returned to active duty in 1952, flying with the first Marine Air Wing during the Korean War. He flew 39 ground-attack combat missions.
• Bob Kalsu

  A standout offensive lineman at Oklahoma, Kalsu was drafted into the NFL by the Buffalo Bills in 1968. After his rookie season, he left the Bills for the Army. Having completed the ROTC program at Oklahoma, he had graduated with a commitment to service. Unlike many other professional athletes, Kalsu didn’t use his stature to avoid active duty, according to Grantland. He would become the only active NFL player killed while serving in Vietnam, dying on July 21, 1970 at age 25.
• Tim James

  

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  A first-round NBA Draft pick by the Miami Heat in 1999, James spent three seasons with the Heat, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. After a few stints playing basketball professionally overseas, he enlisted in the Army in 2008 at age 31, initially not telling his fellow soldiers about his hoops career. He then served in Iraq for 12 months as a member of the Observe, Detect, Identify and Neutralize unit.
• Bob Feller

  

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  The first major leaguer to enlist in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Feller joined the Navy at age 23. He would be assigned to the USS Alabama as a gun-captain, seeing action in the North Altantic and Pacific during World War II. He missed three seasons.
• Jerry Coleman

  A four-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees and participant in two wars, Coleman flew 120 combat missions in World War II and Korea combined as a Marine Corps pilot. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 13 Air Medals, along with three Navy citations. He was the only MLB player to serve in combat in both World War II and Korea, according to Military.com. Coleman would go on to become a legendary broadcaster for the San Diego Padres after his playing days were behind him.
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