(February 27, 1946 – March 14, 2021)

He died in Flagstaff, AZ at the age of 75

NAU Hall of Famer Rusty Tillman played from 1966-1969

  NAU Hall of Famer Rusty Tillman arrived at NAU in 1966, playing defensive end, linebacker, tight end and punter for the Lumberjacks until 1969. Leaving with the school record for punt average of 44.5 yards per punt, as well as what was then the longest punt in school history, Tillman landed in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins to begin his NFL career in 1970.  Of course, he was a great special teams player and earned the nickname “The King” with Washington because of his mastery of special teams play. Rusty was named one of Washington’s 70 greatest players of all-time in 2002, the 70th year of the NFL franchise.

     Following Rusty’s 8 years playing in the NFL he joined the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff in 1979. He helped Seattle form its football identity for 16 years through the 1994 season, serving on the staffs of Jack Patera, Chuck Knox and Tom Flores. Rusty made his biggest impression as an NFL defensive coordinator and special teams coach.  In 1983 his coverage units led the league in both punt and kickoff coverage becoming only the second team in NFL history to accomplish that feat.  In 2005 he got to coach against his Seahawks while on ex-Seahawks player Mike Tice’s Viking Staff.

           Dave Wyman coined this comment: “I realized that Rusty really was larger than life. He lived life to the extreme. Everything he did, he did at 100 mph with his hair on fire.”

     Paul Moyer (Seahawks Safety and DB Coach) said: "Rusty was one of the great special teams players of all time when he was with Washington. He was a legend. He was one of the best motivators and is one of the greatest special teams players and coaches of all time."

RIP Rusty Tillman.

He lived life to the extreme.

His Obituary:

(February 27, 1946 – March 14, 2021)

He died in Flagstaff, AZ at the age of 75

Surviving Children: Rachael, Emily, Joshua, Jacob and Jason