Michael Oher

Michael Oher was an outstanding football player.  Oher's accomplishments included being named lineman of the year and chosen for Tennessee's All-State Team in 2003.  He was also the top prospect for high school offensive line players.  He was the number one draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens.  Michael Oher is an American professional football player who plays offensive tackle for the National Football League (NFL).  His success in football did not come easy to him though.  Michael Jerome Oher was born on May 28, 1986.  His mother, Denise Oher, was a drug addict, and Michael was one of her 12 children.  He had little contact with his father, who was murdered when Oher was in high school.  When Michael's mother was not on drugs, she was an amazing parent, however, her drug addiction caused her to be a poor mother at times.  A hero must possess motivation, respectfulness, and inspiration.  Throughout Michael Oher's life, he showed that he was motivating to others, respectful of those around him and an inspiration to everyone he met.

Michael is motivating in this quote when he said "you know, teachers, lawyers, many thousands of more jobs out there for you.  And if you want to do it you can do it and just never let anybody tell you you can't" ("Beating the Odds, Beyond The Blind Side").  This shows that Michael is saying that you should do what you want to do and not let people make your own decisions.  Michael is respectful in the way that he helps kids that are in foster care and he teaches them how to play football.  He is motivating when he travels around the country and works with kids and gives them advice.  That is what makes Michael Oher a hero.  This shows that Michael is saying that you can do what you want to do and don't let people make your own decisions.  Right at this day he helps treat thousands of foster kids around the world and gives them advice about life.   Since 2009, Michael Oher has been playing the position of offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  Michael is now a huge member of the Ravens sports franchise.  "At age sixteen, the six-foot-five, 300-pound Oher found himself given an unexpected chance at redemption.  He was invited into the home of Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy, a wealthy white couple who saw something of the promise in the gigantic but gentle young black man.  Soon, Oher became a cherished member of the Touhy family and was adopted by the pair.  With a chance to thrive, Oher improved his grades, demonstrated his athletic prowess, obtained a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi" (Oher).  Because of the Touhy family, Michael Oher has become a successful man and amazing athlete.  The Touhys saw a lot of potential in Michael and signed him up for spring football.  And he ended up being the number one lineman in the country.  When Oher was young, he was poor, homeless and abandoned.  His mother was a drug addict.  His father, Michael Jerome Williams, was often in prison and, when Michael was very young, he was murdered.  "Oher grew up frequently hungry, poorly clothed, inadequately educated, and frequently homeless along with his brothers and sisters.  He constantly shifted from school to school, attending eleven different schools by the time he was sixteen" (Oher).  Michael was taken away from his mother when he was young, and he still has bad memories until this day.  Michael says that he does not care about his father he only wanted to keep his mother safe.  He was homeless and had no home and he is now one of the best linemen in NFL history.  Michael Oher is a hero because of his motivation to succeed in his life.

Michael Oher showed that he was a hero by showing respect to other people.  Oher hosted many events in order to help other people.  He did these events for other people, not for himself.  "For me, it wasn't about the money or the flashy lifestyle of the power" ("Beating the Odds, Beyond The Blind Side").  For Oher, it's not about the money or the power.  In the NFL, it's about the team.  Many of the events he hosted were free to the public.  "The event will open with a VIP reception (by invitation) with Tuohy, as well as a no-host cocktail reception, a silent youth art auction and treasure chest key sales for all guests" ("Beating the Odds, Beyond The Blind Side").  Oher hosted an event and it's free for everyone.  He gave a speech to the youth advising them to keep going when they are down.  Because of the vents that Oher hosted in order to reach out to the public, he showed a lot of respect to the community that helped him when he was down.