I would like to share with you about the inspiring tale of Michael Oher! He was born and raised by his addict mother in the projects of Memphis. Michael was one of 13 children and they all had to struggle. "Big Mike", as he was later called, would forage for food and shelter from neighbors and the surrounding communities. He was not nurtured as you would hope a child would be. He pretty much was left on his own and usually talked himself into staying with other people when he could.He eventually ended up at a friend's house. He was staying there when his friend's father, named Big Tony, decided that he wanted to enroll his son into a wonderful private school he had heard about called Briarcrest Christian School. After all, Big Tony had promised his dying mother that he would enroll his son into a Christian school. He also decided that Michael should come along and apply as well since he was taking his son there anyway. He hoped Michael could make their basketball team.
When they arrived at Briarcrest, they were impressed with the look and feel of the campus. It was unlike any other school that either of them had ever seen. Steve Simpson, Briarcrest Christian HS Principle, reviewed the academic record of Michael Oher. The review was not good. Big Mike had been shuffled to many different schools and the program that he was currently enrolled in and it was not working out. Mr. Simpson also found out that Michael had a 0.4 grade point average. He thought to himself, "I don't know if Michael can make it here academically! I want to help him out but Michael may need some serious help before he qualifies academically." He thought about it for a long while and then gave in but with some stipulations. He decided that Michael would need to enroll in a home study course first but he also needed to perform at a high level for a semester at the other school he was attending then Briarcrest would accept him as a student the following semester. He soon realized that it was a mistake not to accept Michael in to the class so he told Michael that he could be a student at the school but only under academic probation and Michael could not participate in any sports until there was some gradual and then dramatic improvement in his grades. Michael and his friends did not know it then but that decision would take him on an amazing journey!
Michael became the most talked about kid at the school. Most of the kids didn't know what to think of him as he was a giant for his age! At 16 years of age, he was the biggest 16 year old that anyone could ever remember seeing. He scared people with his size and his eerie quietness...he barely said two words to anyone. Sean Tuohy, a successful businessman and mentor to many of the athletes as the school, noticed Michael at several basketball games. He tried engaging Big Mike in conversation but again, he barely spoke a word.
Just around Thanksgiving break on a cold and snowy day the Tuoy family, Sean the Dad, Leigh Anne the Mom, Collins the daughter and the son Sean Jr., were driving on campus toward home when the bus stopped right in front of their car to let people off. Out jumped Michael with only the thinnest of T-shirts and short pants on....an outfit that Big Mike would have froze in if he did not have someplace to stay warm. Michael was headed for the warm and toasty gym. Sean looked over at his wife and nodded toward Michael and said, 'That is the kid I have been telling you about...Big Mike."
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy jumped out and Sean reintroduced himself and then introduced Leigh Anne. They eventually asked Michael where he was going and he told them to the gym. They said that there was nothing going on there and he simply told them, "There is heat there. It's nice and warm in that gym." As they said their good-byes to Michael, Sean could see that Leigh Anne was already crying as she got in the car. He knew that Leigh Anne was about to get involved in a big way!
The next day, Leigh Anne drove to school and asked Michael to come with her as she was going to get him some appropriate clothes for Mike to wear. Some people thought it was odd that Leigh Anne would be this aggressive with her "good deeds" but Leigh Anne was not stranger to wagging tongues and had a track record of doing things like this before. After all she thought, If you see a child that needs clothes and you have the resources to clothe them, then do it. After all, if God gives you the resources to do it, He is going to see if you will help a needy person or not. She was doing what she had always done and wasn't about to change! She contacted an NFL quarterback friend of hers at the Washington Redskins and asked him to check with the big lineman there to see if they had any extra clothes that they would be willing to give up. She gave Michael's measurements to the QB and the QB checked with his linemen. He got back on the phone with Leigh Anne later that day and said, "Leigh Anne, you must have got your measurements wrong. There are no linemen here that are that big!" Leigh Anne knew that she had not and was once again amazed at Michael's size and soon after an exhaustive search of everywhere Michael had stayed, they found some clothes that would fit him.
Michael was now faced with another almost debilitating challenge...his school work. He was not doing so well in school. Teachers described it as it seemed he was never really taught anything his entire school life...he was a blank slate! They soon come to realize that Michael did much better when giving him oral exams than written so they gave him his tests orally. He had steep academic hills to climb but things were looking up for the young Mr. Oher.
Coach Freeze first saw Michael on campus. He couldn't get over the size of this young man and thought to himself that it would be great to have a guy that big on the football field. He was really impressed the first time he saw Michael start a practice. He watched Michael pick up a 50 pound tackling dummy and jog with it across the field like he was carrying grocery bag! Over 6 foot 4" weighing 344 pounds and had superior strength to any high school football player he had ever seen AND he was only a sophomore! As the year progressed, Michael got to play on the basketball team and then during the Spring he went out for track throwing the shot and discus. In his junior year, he finally got to go out for football.
His first year of football was just like his first year academically at Briarcrest. He knew nearly nothing about how to play the game of football. They decided to start Big Mike on defense. He played the first 6 games at defensive tackle. The saddest thing about his play was that most of the time he was confused which made him hesitate and that only made him look passive...a huge football player like Mike could not afford to look passive on the football field. He lacked the aggression that was especially required of defensive players. Coach Freeze was left perplexed. The fall of 2003 Leigh Anne Tuohy offered Michael a ride to where he was calling home after a track meet. Upon arriving, Leigh Anne saw a run down small trailer where Michael was staying. She insisted on coming in and when she got in there, she was amazed that the tiny trailer could contain such an enormous person. She asked him where he was sleeping as she saw that there was no bed around. He pointed to an air mattress and said, "Right there...I blow it up every night but by morning it's flat." Leigh Anne had heard enough. "Come on Michael...you are moving in with us." Michael eventually was invited to stay permanently at the Tuohy's home. That was great...he didn't want to move out!
Michael continued to steadily improve academically throughout the High School years. He also had been playing on the football team and the offensive line coach Tim Long, a 3rd round offensive lineman draft pick years ago by the Minnesota Vikings, was really impressed with the physical gifts that God had given to Michael. But he soon realized that Michael was not the player that he had hoped for. In fact he was so bad that he pulled him from one of Michael's earliest games because the coach thought that they would be better with someone else in there. Sean Tuohy was also asked to be a coach and unofficial mentor to the boys. When he arrived at practice one day, he noticed a group of unrecognizable men standing on the sidelines watching the practice. These were college coaches come to see what Coach Freeze had told them about Michael was true. Sean couldn't figure out why they were there because Michael had not shown much promise but he guessed what drew them was the potential of someone with his physical gifts being used on their teams. However, all minds soon changed when the witnessed one of the drills designed to pit offensive linemen against defensive lineman.
Michael lined up across from the best defensive tackle that Briarcrest had...Joseph Crone, 6 foot 2 inches and 270 pounds. Now Michael may have looked confused in games but with this drill, he knew exactly what he had to do. He got into his stance. Joseph got into his stance. Then the coach blew his whistle to start the drill. Seconds later, Sean noticed that the college coaches were scrambling to get their phones out and telephone their offices. They couldn't believe what they had just saw. Michael and dealt with the best big man the squad like Joseph was a child! He no more paid Joseph any attention that he would have the wind. He blew Joseph off the ball. One coach even ran up to Coach Freeze and gave him his card and said, "Listen...I have seen all that I need to, contact me when he graduates. He will have a full scholarship to play for us!"
