April 7, 2025 | By Zoe Smolios, Journalist & PCC Volunteer

This spotlight update is provided in remembrance of Rico Tillman’s unsolved homicide 25 years ago. Our original spotlight article, written in 2019, is below.

March 19, 2000, Ricardo “Rico” Tillman Jr. suffered a stab wound after defending his JU Football teammates outside of a night club. Three weeks later, on April 10, 2000, he lost his life after contracting a staph infection caused by that stab wound. Twenty-five years later, his family and friends are still left fighting for justice and searching for the person that took their beloved Rico from them.

A funny, loving, caring, proud son, brother and friend. That is how his loved ones remember him.

“Never been in trouble,” Rico’s father, Ricardo Tillman Sr. says, “He was just a good kid all around.”

His sisters recall him telling everyone so proudly that he was their brother, and they were his sisters.

Growing up in Miami, Rico always had a love for football and had a dream of becoming a pro one day. His father says, starting all the way back in the little leagues, their weekends were spent going to games, and Rico made sure he never missed one. So, when the opportunity arose for him to play on Jacksonville University’s football team in 1998, their inaugural year, Tillman jumped at it.

“He was the first person I met walking onto campus,” former JU quarterback and Tillman’s best friend, Gary Cooper recalls. “It immediately clicked. I mean, we sat there, and we talked about the opportunity we had ahead of us knowing that it was going to be the first football team at the university… and it transitioned onto the football field. From day one we connected on the field…”

The receiver/quarterback duo proved to truly have a special bond with Tillman scoring the Dolphins’ first touchdown after catching a 65-yard pass from Cooper.

That wouldn’t be the only impact Rico had on the team, though. He was also voted one of the team’s captains in both his freshman and sophomore years.

“From day one he was voted captain because he influenced so many people,” Cooper said. “His work ethic, how he treated team members, and he led by example.”

The love Rico had for his fellow teammates was undeniable, but no one would have guessed that it would be him standing up for them that would have cost him his life.

On that fateful March night of Tillman’s sophomore year in 2000, Rico, Cooper and some of their teammates were out having a fun night at Jazzco. Cooper says he recalls them having a run in with some guys inside the club, but it turned into nothing. As the club was closing, they all went their separate ways with Cooper getting in his car to head back to campus. It was on that car ride, though, that he got the call that Rico had been stabbed.

“I turned around, got back there. There was still a bunch of chaos going on,” the former quarterback recalls. “I sat with him on the curb and talked him through it until the ambulance came. It all happened so fast.”

At that time, Cooper called the Tillmans to let them know what was going on, with Rico assuring his parents that he was okay, but the parents rushed up to Jacksonville to be by his side.

“He was fine for a while,” his father recalls. “He was okay. I was walking around the hospital with him.”

“He was still so caring that he said he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. That’s how caring he was,” recalls Rico’s mother Dorothy Tillman.

Loyal to each other always, Rico’s teammates were also by his side in the hospital. Cooper recalls sitting next to his best friend every day, talking him through things, being there for his breathing treatments until Rico was finally strong enough to be sent home. He then transitioned to staying at his aunt’s house and was able to visit the campus to grab his things and catch up with his friends and teammates.

“He seemed like he was going to make it through,” Cooper recalls. “Unfortunately, things didn’t happen that way.”

After suffering complications, Rico ended up back in the hospital where it was learned that he had a staph infection from the stab wound. Along with him came his family and friends, staying day and night by his bedside praying for him to pull through. He unfortunately lost his life just days later.

With Rico gone, his memory has never been forgotten, and his lasting impression still leaves a mark on everyone he encountered. Cooper recalls his teammates continuing the tradition of the pre-game prayer that Rico used to say, and they left his locker exactly as it was when he was there.

“Before each game I’d sit next to that locker and talk to him,” the former quarterback said. “It was just my way of honoring him to just take the time out to think about him and let him know that he will always be a part of our program.”

Even today, twenty-five years later, Cooper says he sometimes finds himself staring off into space, sometimes shedding a tear, and his 18-year-old daughter, who only knows Rico through stories, will ask if he’s thinking about his late best friend.

It’s the memories that his family holds on to as well. With the Tillmans now having ten grandchildren that never got to physically meet their uncle, they still know him through memories, and the family shares a tradition of eating Rico’s favorite meal of turkey, wings and potatoes and then releasing balloons each year, with Cooper joining in.

“I go over there and we’ll eat dinner… and sit back and look at pictures and I tell his parents stories of what I have from back in college and we’ll sit back and laugh and just reminisce.”

If you have any information on the unsolved homicide of Rico Tillman Jr., please call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-TIPS.

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Original Spotlight Article – April 8, 2019 | By Johnakeshia Thompson

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class.

It’s been 19 years, but Ricardo Tillman, Sr. still cherishes the memories of his son.

Tillman says not a day goes by that he and his wife don’t think about their son or talk about him. His son, Ricardo Tillman, Jr., was stabbed on March 19, 2000, and died from an infection related to his wounds several weeks later. Ricardo, who went by ‘Rico,’ was 20 years old and a standout football player at Jacksonville University.

Hoping to solve the murder, Tillman Sr. speaks about his son every chance he gets in hopes to find the person responsible. He believes that someone knows who stabbed his son, and he will continue to fight for justice.

Tillman knows nothing he does can change what happened. His son told him before dying that he wouldn’t wish his injury on his worst enemy. He should let the anger go, he admits. “But I want justice,” Senior says.

Memories are treasures for the elder Tillman, especially their mutual love of football. He has video footage of Tillman Jr. stating that he wanted to be a pro-football player. Tillman, Jr. played football from little league to becoming captain of Jacksonville University’s football team. Tillman said his son wanted to attend Jacksonville University because its football team was new. He also wanted to help lead the team to a championship.

The Jacksonville Dolphins played their inaugural football season in 1998. As a team captain, Rico Tillman caught a 65-yard pass from Garrett Cooper to score the first touchdown in Dolphins history. JU defeated Davidson 19-14 in that first game. Tillman led the Dolphins in the 1998 season with 33 receptions for 550 yards and 3 touchdowns. That first touchdown pass held as his career long reception.

Tillman remembers his son for being very protective over people he loved. He believes this overprotective characteristic is part of the reason Rico is no longer living.

Rico was stabbed outside of Jazzco nightclub on March 19, 2000, at 3 a.m. after breaking up a fight involving some of his team members. Rico’s best friend and former quarterback, Gary Cooper, called the Tillmans to notify them of the incident. Over the phone, Rico told his father that he was okay.

He was admitted into Shands Hospital and, according to his father, was released three days later. His mother flew up to Jacksonville from Miami to care for her son. She noticed that his back was swollen and he was running a fever, so she took him back to the hospital.

On April 10, 2000, Rico Tillman passed away due to a staph infection.

The family sued Shands Hospital for negligence. They also sued Jazzco because the onsite cameras weren’t working.

Losing a son, friend, and brother was a hard experience for the Tillman family. Tillman Sr. says that his son was more like his best friend. Rico would often call to get advice. He is glad he had the chance to tell his son that he loved him.

On November 15, 2004, Jacksonville University honored Ricardo Tillman Jr. and retired his #8 jersey. Prior to the retirement ceremony, players handpicked by the coaching staff were awarded the number to wear for the season. Those players selected showcased above average football skills paired with outstanding character. JU hands out the Rico Tillman Award, the highest athletic award at the school, each season.

His younger sister, Prinsetta Myers, was 12 years old at the time of his death. Although she was very young, her brother’s sense of humor, love for football and music will be memories she will never forget.

The family says that they will continue to seek justice for their beloved Rico.

If you have any information on the unsolved murder of Rico Tillman Jr., please call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a $3,000 reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-TIPS.

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If you have a loved one who is the victim of an unsolved homicide, please submit their case here for consideration in a future Cold Case Spotlight post.