updated 9:05 p.m. ET April 23, 2004

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Billy Shaw has remembered and respected former teammate Bob Kalsu for sacrificing his life in the Vietnam War.

The Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame lineman now holds the same high regard for Pat Tillman.

Tillman, who left the NFL to join the Army Rangers in 2002, was killed during a firefight in Afghanistan on Thursday. News of Tillman’s death prompted Shaw to recall Kalsu in an emotional response on Friday.

“What a tremendous character makeup both of these individuals had to put their careers on hold to defend our country,” Shaw said. “They are the real hall of famers.”

Tillman, who played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, became the first pro football player to die in combat since Kalsu was killed by mortar fire in 1970.

A guard, Kalsu played at Oklahoma and was selected by Buffalo in the eighth round of the 1968 draft. He was voted the Bills’ rookie of the year in his only season.

Kalsu began fulfilling his ROTC obligations after his rookie season and was sent to Vietnam.

The Bills honored Kalsu in 2000, placing his name on the Ralph Wilson Stadium’s wall of fame.

“It makes me proud to be an NFL alumnus and an American to know that someone in our fraternity would sacrifice some or all of his career for us to enjoy our way of life in this country,” Shaw said.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, Shaw played nine seasons with the Bills in the 1960s.

MORE FROM TILLMAN: DEATH OF A HERO

Tillman 'probably' killed by friendly fire

Tillman 'probably' killed by friendly fire Tillman honored by NFL Tillman posthumously awarded Silver Star Newsweek: A hero's life Concha: Tillman, an American hero Athletes spending less time on battle fields Olbermann: Sacrifice in war   Add Tillman: Death of a hero headlines to your news reader: