What NFL Player is The Blind Side About?

The movie The Blind Side is based on the true story of NFL player Michael Oher. Oher was born into a poverty-stricken family and spent much of his childhood without a permanent home. He was eventually taken in by a wealthy family, the Tuohys, who helped him develop his talents as a football player. Oher went on to have a successful career in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers.

Michael Oher

Michael Jerome Oher (/ˈoʊər/; born May 28, 1986) is an American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Mississippi, and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft

Early Life

Michael Jerome Oher (/ˈoʊər/; né Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. One of the most highly rated offensive linemen coming out of high school, Oher struggled with academic issues throughout his college career. After being drafted, he became the starting left tackle for the Ravens and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in his first season.

Oher was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Denise Oher and Michael Jerome Williams Sr., with seven siblings: six brothers and one sister. His father’s criminal record includes convictions for crack cocaine possession and dealing, robbery, aggravated assault and domestic violence. His father was frequently absent from his life. Michael Sr.’s drug addiction caused Denise to abandon her family when Michael was just a toddler; she moved them around constantly in search of cheap housing or government assistance, which often meant living out of hotels or freezing their utilities off. In 1992 while they were living on White Station Road in East Memphis rented from William Hayes, Hayes’ eight-year-old son Sean Todd was accidentally shot dead by another child playing with a shotgun that had been left unsecured by Michael Sr.. The shooting led to a criminal trial against Michael Sr., during which Denise denied knowing anything about her husband’s drug dealing; as a result she served four months in jail on perjury charges. Throughout his childhood and high school years, despite moving more than two dozen times within Memphis city limits alone as his mother sought shelter from William Hayes or other abusive men she dated (often driven away by vandalism or violent threats perpetrated by those men), Oher always considered himself “a Memphian” first and foremost.[citation needed]

In 1996, Denise met Tony Humphries through mutual friends at a church function; he soon moved into their house on Hillview Street off yellowbook road just east of Whitehaven High School with her and her children—becoming like “a father figure” to Oher according to Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith—and Humphries later legally adopted all six Williams children as his own (adding “Humphries” to their last names) after their biological father’s rights were terminated by court order following repeated incarceration.[1][2] At Hugh Freeze’s request, former Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt contacted Tony Humphries while recruiting Oher.[3]

High School Football

Oher started playing football in his junior year of high school at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee. He had only played organized football for two years when he was first recruited by colleges. When major college recruiters became aware of his potential late in his senior year, he was heavily recruited. He eventually committed to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) on December 12, 2004, becoming the fifth offensive lineman to commit to Ole Miss that year.

As a senior at Briarcrest, Oher was named to the All-Metro squad by The Commercial Appeal and earned All-State honors as a defensive lineman by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

College Football

He started his college football career playing for the University of Mississippi. After an outstanding career with the Ole Miss Rebels, he was Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Michael Oher has played for the Ravens his entire NFL career, winning a Super Bowl ring with them in 2013. He is currently a free agent.

NFL Career

Michael Jerome Oher (/ˈoʊər/; né Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Mississippi, and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.

Oher won the Ed Block Courage Award in 2011,[1] and was featured on the HBO television series Hard Knocks that same year. In his rookie season, he started all 16 regular season games for the Ravens at left tackle and helped them win Super Bowl XLVII over his former team, the San Francisco 49ers.

Oher was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother, Denise Oher, was addicted to crack cocaine and he never knew his father.[2][3] When he was seven, Denise took him and his two sisters to Nashville after she inherited $20,000 from her grandmother’s estate.[4] The three children were then placed in foster care.[5]

He attended Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, where he was a starter on the school’s offense line.[6][7] In 2001, he helped lead his team to a Division II state championship.[8]

The Blind Side

Michael Oher is the NFL player the movie The Blind Side is based on. The Blind Side is a 2009 American biographical sports drama film. It is based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The film was directed by John Lee Hancock, and the screenplay was written by Hancock and Blind Side book author Michael Lewis.

The Book

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a 2006 book by Michael Lewis that chronicles the experiences of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. The book became the basis for the 2009 film The Blind Side, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

In the book, Lewis chronicles how Oher went from being a homeless teenager to becoming one of the most highly sought-after prospects in college football. He also explores how the game of football has evolved over the years, with an emphasis on the role of offensive tackles.

The Blind Side was met with largely positive reviews from critics, who praised Lewis’ writing and what New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin called “an inspiring story expertly told.” However, some reviewers criticized Lewis’ use of statistics and his portrayal of Oher’s previous coaches.

The Movie

The Blind Side was released in 2009 and is based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The movie centers on the life of Michael Oher, a young African American man who was taken in by a wealthy white family, the Tuohys. Oher had a difficult childhood and was living on the streets when he was taken in by the Tuohys. They helped him get an education and he eventually went on to play football for the University of Mississippi. He was then drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the NFL Draft.