John McCoy and Pat Tillman had at least two things in common — a love of football and desire to serve their country.

McCoy, a Kansas University defensive end and U.S. Army Reservist, can only hope the similarities end there.

Tillman, an NFL safety who walked away from a $3.6 million contract with Arizona and joined the Army Rangers, was killed in action Thursday in Afghanistan.

“You wake up one day, and here you are an athlete committed to a team,” said McCoy, a KU senior whose 317th Headquarters Battalion was put on alert April 11. “The next day you’re in a foreign country, and things like that happen. You could die. It’s that simple.

“My heart goes out to his family and friends. He was a true patriot to his country.”

McCoy joined the military in 2000 before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which prompted Tillman to quit pro football.

“If I had $3.6 million, and I wasn’t previously committed, it would be pretty hard to walk away from that,” said McCoy, who signed up after high school in Richwood, Ohio, to make sure he had enough money for college. “On the other hand, people have their own priorities. Serving his country was one of his, and he did.”

McCoy, a private first class whose specialty is supply, doesn’t know when he might be called to active duty or where he might be sent.

“It’s not the easiest feeling,” McCoy said. “I wake up every day with a little anxiety, thinking, ‘This could be the day.’ I go to bed thinking, ‘This could be the last night I sleep in this bed for at least a year.'”

6Sports video: KU football player on military duty alert

McCoy said he had no regrets about his decision to join.

“To me, serving my country is a great honor,” he said. “Playing football for your school is one thing, but serving your country is another. I’m proud of both aspects of that.”

McCoy was an All-America linebacker at Victor Valley College in 2002, but he played a limited role as a backup last year after switching to defensive end in his first year at KU. He caught on during the offseason and was at the top of the depth chart at the end of spring drills.

“I was feeling pretty optimistic about this upcoming season,” he said. “I was looking forward to it. I still am.”