Michael Oher

Michael Jerome Oher (US pronunciation: /ɔːr/; born Michael Jerome Williams, Jr.; May 28, 1986) is an American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and has also played for the Tennessee Titans. He played college football for the University of Mississippi.

Oher earned unanimous All-American honors at Mississippi, and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. His life through his final year of high school and first year of college is one of the subjects of Michael Lewis' 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, and was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Blind Side.

Early life

Born Michael Jerome Williams, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee, he was one of twelve children born to Denise Oher. His mother was an alcoholic and crack cocaine addict, and his father, Michael Jerome Williams, was frequently in prison. Due to his upbringing, he received little attention and discipline during his childhood. He repeated both first and second grades, and attended eleven different schools during his first nine years as a student. He was placed in foster care at age seven, and alternated between living in various foster homes and periods of homelessness. Oher's biological father was a former cell mate of Denise Oher's brother and was murdered in prison when Oher was a senior in high school.