Michael Oher

Former American football offensive tackle Michael Oher spent eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at the University of Mississippi, where he was taken by the Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and received unanimous All-American accolades. He also participated for the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans. Michael Oher is also popular for being the subject of Michael Lewis' 2006 book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game’. The book which chronicles the life and struggles of Michale Oher even became a very famous movie which won an Academy award in 2009.

Michael Oher’s Early Life and Background

Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. was one of Denise Oher's 12 children and was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Michael Jerome Williams, was regularly incarcerated, while his mother struggled with alcoholism and a crack cocaine addiction.

He didn't get any attention or guidance when he was a kid. During his first nine years in school, he attended eleven schools and repeated the first and second grades. He was placed in foster care at the age of seven and spent time living in different foster homes as well as on the streets. Oher's father was murdered in jail while he was still a sophomore in high school. A young Michael Oher was finally taken in by Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy when he was 16, and the Tuohys became Oher's legal guardians when he was 17.

During his first year of high school in a Memphis public high school, Oher started playing football.

Oher's junior year saw him start to shine in the football game. Oher was voted First Team Tennessee All-State and Division II Lineman of the Year in 2003. In addition, he received two letters each in basketball and track. Oher was the starting left tackle for the varsity football team at the start of his senior year. As a senior, he finished second in the state in the discus. Oher's poor academic performance at first prevented him from being accepted into an NCAA program, but he gradually raised his 0.76 GPA to a 2.52 GPA in order to enroll in a Division university. He immediately rose to the top of Tennessee's football prospects, earning many Division 1 school scholarship offers. Despite receiving scholarship offers from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina, he finally decided to play collegiate football with the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi.

In his first season with the Ole Miss Rebels, guard Oher made 10 starts. He soon rose to the status of first-team rookie All-American. Oher was chosen to many preseason All-Conference and All-American lists after switching to left tackle for the 2006 season. In addition, he was awarded a first-team SEC offensive lineman after his sophomore season and a second-team SEC offensive lineman following his junior year. Oher excelled academically at Ole Miss as well, and between the time he was assessed as a child and the time he was assessed in college, his IQ scores improved by 30 points. In his sophomore year, he was on the honor roll.

Oher said in January 2008 that he will be quitting school to join the 2008 Draft.

Just two days later, he revealed that he was leaving the draft in order to finish his senior year at Ole Miss. Oher made the honor roll for the second time in his college career after being named to the first team All-American following the 2008 campaign. In the spring of 2009, he received his Criminal Justice degree. He finished his collegiate football career with more than a dozen honors and significant prizes.

Michael Oher NFL Draft

Michael Oher was one of the top prospects of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Oher in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was picked overall 23rd in the Draft, by the Ravens who had acquired the pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for their first- and fifth-round draft picks.

Michael Oher’s NFL Journey

Michael Oher agreed to a five-year, $13.8 million contract with the Ravens on July 30, 2009.

After lineman Jared Gaither suffered an injury, Oher was switched from right to left tackle for the first eight weeks of the 2009 season before returning to his original position. Oher alternated between starting on the right and left tackle in each game in 2009. He played right to tackle in his first postseason game in January 2010 against the New England Patriots, preventing any sacks and leading the Ravens to a 33-13 victory. With six votes, Oher came in second place for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award from the Associated Press.

Oher and the Tennessee Titans agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract in March 2014.

He made eleven starts with the Titans before being put on injured reserve on December 13 after missing the previous two contests because of a toe ailment. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 74th-best tackle out of 78 during the 2014 campaign. On February 5, 2015, the Titans released Oher. He agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers a month later. Oher acknowledged Cam Newton as a key motivator for choosing Carolina, where he went on to have one of his greatest seasons as a pro while covering Newton's blind side.

Oher was a member of the Panthers squad that lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24-10 in the Super Bowl on February 7, 2016. Oher and the Panthers agreed to a three-year contract extension in June 2016 worth $21.6 million, with $9.5 million of that amount guaranteed. Three games into the season, he sustained a concussion, and on November 25, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve. Sadly, the Panthers discharged him on July 20, 2017, following a failed physical.

Michael Oher’s Teams

Baltimore Ravens (2009-2013)

Michael Oher had a strong start to his career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he often rotated between playing as a right tackle or a left tackle. He was voted the AP Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He was a constant part of the Ravens team through 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2013, Michael Oher won his first Super Bowl ring when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers.

Tennessee Titans (2014)

Oher was traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2014, where he signed a four-year deal worth $20 million. He was placed on the injured/reserve list at the end of the season and eventually released by the Titans at the end of the season.

Carolina Panthers (2015-2016)

In 2015, Oher signed a two-year $7 million contract with the Panthers. Oher appeared for his second Super Bowl (Super Bowl 50) against the Denver Broncos but unfortunately, the Panthers lost 24-10. Although he signed a $21.6 contract extension with the Panthers in 2016, he was released at the end of 2017. Oher was struggling with too many injuries to keep performing at the top level, thus he decided to hang up his boots for good.

Michael Oher Awards and Honors

Awards

Michael Oher's Super Bowl wins

Michael Oher has won one Super Bowl in his career. He won the Super Bowl for the first time with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 during Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens emerged victorious in a match that ended 34-31. Michael Oher had his second Super Bowl appearance as a Panthers player when they faced the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. However, he could not get his hands on the Vince Lombardi trophy a second time.

Michael Oher's Net Worth

Michael Oher has an estimated net worth of around $20-25 million. He doesn't disclose much about his life. However, his lifestyle makes it apparent that he is very rich. Oher owned a $1.3 million house in the Forest Hills area of Tennessee when he played for the Titans. The mansion had six bedrooms. Oher earned $34.17 million while playing in the NFL.

Michael Oher Contract

Michael Oher’s most expensive contract in the NFL was worth $21.6 million, which he signed with the Carolina Panthers. The contract had a guaranteed amount of $9.5 million. His initial contract with the Ravens was worth $13.8 million, which was a five-year contract. He had also signed a four-year $20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2014.

Michael Oher Family

Michael Oher had a very rough childhood which is chronicled in the famous 2009 movie “The Blind Side”. His mother, Denis Oher was a drug addict and his father Michael Jerome Williams was often in jail. Due to a lack of attention and discipline, Michael Oher had a rough start to his life. When he was 16, he was taken in by Sean Tuhoy and Leigh Anne Tuhoy, who actually looked after him. They became Oher's legal guardians when he was 17. They hired Oher a tutor, who worked with him on schoolwork for 20 hours a week

Michael Oher married his long-term girlfriend Tiffany Roy on November 5, 2022, at the JW Marriott in Nashville, Tennessee. Michael and Tiffany got married after 17 years of dating. Kobi, the couple's son, walked the bride down the aisle to Beyonce's Halo. Aside from Kobi, the couple has another son, MJ, and two daughters, Kierstin and Naivi.