Michael Oher Michael Jerome Oher ( ) ( born May 28 , 1986 ) is an American football offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football at the University of Mississippi and earned unanimous All - American honors . He 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 , " " , 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 12 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 . Oher played football during his freshman year at a public high school in Memphis and applied for admission to Briarcrest Christian School at the instigation of acquaintance Tony Henderson , an auto mechanic , with whom he was living temporarily . Henderson was enrolling his son at the school in order to fulfill the dying wish of the boy ' s grandmother and thought Oher might enroll as well . The school ' s football coach submitted Oher ' s school application to the headmaster , who agreed to accept him if Oher could complete a home study program first . Despite not finishing the program , he was admitted when the headmaster realized that his requirement had removed Oher from the public education system . After the 2003 football season at Briarcrest , he was named Division II ( 2A ) Lineman of the Year in 2003 , and First Team Tennessee All - State . Scout . com rated Oher a five - star recruit and the No . 5 offensive lineman prospect in the country . Before that season and for his prior 20 months at Briarcrest , Oher had been living with several foster families . In 2004 , Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy , a couple with a daughter and son attending Briarcrest , allowed Oher to live with them and eventually adopted him . The family began tending to his needs after becoming familiar with his difficult childhood . They also hired a tutor for him , who worked with him for 20 hours per week . Oher also earned two letters each in track and basketball . He averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds a game , earning All - State honors by helping lead the basketball team to a 27 – 6 record , winning the district championship as a senior . Oher was also a state runner - up in the discus as a senior . Oher eventually increased his 0 . 76 grade point average ( GPA ) to a 2 . 52 GPA by the end of his senior year so he could attend a Div . I school by enrolling in some 10 - day - long internet - based courses from Brigham Young University . Taking and passing the internet courses allowed him to replace Ds and Fs earned in earlier school classes , such as English , with As earned via the internet . This finally raised his graduating GPA over the required minimum . College career . Though he received scholarship offers from Tennessee , LSU , Alabama , Auburn and South Carolina , Oher ultimately decided to play for Coach Ed Orgeron at the University of Mississippi , alma mater of his guardians , Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy . His decision to play for the Ole Miss Rebels football team sparked an investigation by the NCAA . The first issue was that Oher ' s grade - point average ( GPA ) was still too low to meet the requirements for a Division I scholarship at the time of the offer from Ole Miss . That difficulty was corrected by graduation , when Oher completed online classes through Brigham Young University . The second issue was the Tuohys ' preexisting relationship with the school and the fact that Oher ' s high school coach , Hugh Freeze , was employed by Ole Miss twenty days after Oher signed his letter of intent . Freeze asserted that his position with Ole Miss was not an example of quid pro quo for encouraging Oher to attend the school , but rather the result of his preexisting relationship with Ole Miss offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone . The NCAA did not close its case on its suspicions of collusion . However , it ruled that Ole Miss had committed no NCAA violations in its recruitment of Oher . Freeze was found guilty of secondary violations for contacting other Memphis - area recruits before joining the Ole Miss staff . Oher started in ten games as a guard during his first season with the Ole Miss Rebels , becoming a first - team freshman All American . After shifting to the position of left tackle for the 2006 season , he was named to various preseason All - Conference and All - American teams . Oher was named a second - team Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) offensive lineman after his sophomore season and a first - team SEC offensive lineman after his junior season . Oher was also successful academically at Ole Miss , and his tested IQ score increased 20 to 30 points between when he was measured in the public - school systems growing up and when he was measured in college . On January 14 , 2008 , Oher declared that he would be entering the 2008 NFL Draft . However , two days later , he announced his withdrawal from the draft to return to Ole Miss for his senior season . After the 2008 season , Oher was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American , made the honor roll for the second time ( the first time being his sophomore year ) , and graduated with a degree in criminal justice in the spring of 2009 . Professional career . 2009 NFL Draft . Already in 2008 , Oher was projected as one of the top prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft . The Baltimore Ravens drafted Oher with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft . The Ravens had acquired the pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for their first - and fifth - round draft picks . The Tuohy family was there to witness his draft day selection . Baltimore Ravens . On April 26 , 2009 , he was assigned the No . 74 jersey , which was his jersey number at Ole Miss . On July 30 , 2009 , he signed a five - year , $ 13 . 8 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens . He started the 2009 season as right tackle , but was moved to left tackle after an injury to lineman Jared Gaither . In week eight , he returned to right tackle . Oher started every game in 2009 , 11 at right tackle and five at left tackle . He played right tackle in his first post - season game , January 10 , 2010 , against the New England Patriots , and did not allow a single sack as the Ravens won 33 – 14 . Michael Oher was second in the voting for Associated Press ' NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award , with six votes . Prior to the 2010 NFL season , Oher was moved to left tackle . During the 2011 pre - season , the Ravens announced that Oher would be moving back to the right side . Tennessee Titans . On March 14 , 2014 , Oher signed a four year , $ 20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans . " The Blind Side " . Oher is one of the subjects of Michael Lewis ' s 2006 book , " " . Before the book was published , excerpts appeared in " The New York Times Magazine " as " The Ballad of Big Mike " . His portion of the book was adapted for film and was directed by John Lee Hancock . It was released in the United States on November 20 , 2009 . The movie stars Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher , alongside Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw . The movie was nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Actress for Bullock . Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy . " I Beat The Odds " . Oher wrote his autobiography , " I Beat The Odds : From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond " , in 2011 . His coauthor , Don Yaeger , has co - written a number of other sports biographies , including those of Walter Payton , Warrick Dunn , and former Duke Lacrosse coach Mike Pressler . His adoptive parents are also the co - authors of the book , " In a Heartbeat : Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving " , which tells the story in their own words , and was released in 2010 .