Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the USA in 1986 as the son of Denise and Michael Oher and grew up to be an offensive tackle in American football, playing football for the University of Mississippi College. With a remarkable life journey that took him through good and bad days, his biography is well worth reading. Michael did not have a typical childhood upbringing. He had to repeat the first and second grades as often as he can remember.
Because of his family problems, Michael was placed in foster homes at the age of 7 and alternated between living in various foster homes and periods of homelessness. When he was 9 years old, he had attended 11 different classes.
In 2004 he was invited by Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy to live with them and their children, where he was eventually adopted into their family. Since his new father, Sean Touhy, was a former footballer himself, the family saw fit to hire a tutor for Michael to coach him 20 hours a week.
Michael started his passion for soccer in the first year of high school. There he continued his path by applying for admission to Briarcrest Christian School with the support of Tony Henderson. Tony Henderson was a car mechanic who provided Michael with food and shelter from time to time.
During his school years, Michael’s poor grades were initially a barrier to his acceptance into an NCAA program. With discipline and courage, he managed to raise his GPA from 0.76 to a record 2.52 GPA by the end of his senior year.
He then attended a Division I school by enrolling in a 10-day Internet-based course at Brigham Young University. By attending and passing these courses, Michael was able to replace his Ds and Fs, such as English, acquired in previous classes with A’s acquired over the Internet.
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When he received offers for soccer scholarships from various colleges, Michael decided to make do with the University of Mississippi scholarship: There he would play for the Ole Miss Rebels soccer team.
In 2008 Michael announced that he would participate in the 2008 NFL Draft. Two days later, however, Michael announced his withdrawal from the draft to return to Ole Miss for his senior season.
At the end of the 2008 season, Michael Oher was recognized as a unanimous All-American on the first team; he made the honor roll for the second time (the first time in his sophomore year) and graduated with a degree in criminal justice in the spring of 2009.
Michael Oher has received many awards and honors during his college career, including, but not limited to 2005 First Team Freshman All-American, 2005 First Team All-Quad Freshman Chrome [AQFC] Tackle Letius, 2005 First Team SEC All-Freshman, 2008 Shug Jordan Award as Southeast Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2008 Colonel Earl “Red” Blaik Leadership Scholarship Award. He is currently a free agent.
Michael Oher Family – Parents, Siblings
His father’s name is Michael Jerome Williams and his mother’s name is Denise Oher. Michael received little care or attention from his father, who was often in prison for his criminal activities. As a former cellmate of his mother’s brother, Michael’s father rarely lived a good life – he spent most of his childhood in and out of prison. It is reported that he was murdered in prison when Michael was still in high school.
His mother, however, led a tragic life of drug addiction and alcoholism. She was a chronic cocaine addict and an excessive alcoholic. Still alive, Michael’s mother is still struggling with her addiction and keeps trying to stay out of the spotlight as she embarks on her recovery. Michael Oher’s foster mother – Leigh Anne Tuohy – has been the catalyst for most of the progress in Michael’s life.
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Michael Oher’s new parents helped turn him from a lost nomad youth into a force on the football field that eventually brought him to the NFL.
Michael Oher comes from a large family of 14 children, including father and mother. He is one of twelve children born to his mother. Through his adoptive parents, he has a sister named Collins Tuohy: a popular actress and public speaker. He also has a brother named Sean Tuohy Jr. who is the assistant to the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks soccer team.
Married, Wife, Girlfriend, Son
As one of the many athletes who keep their private and relationship life out of the public eye, Michael has never been romantically involved with anyone or there were rumors that he was involved with anyone. There is no information about the girlfriend of Michael Oher or the wife Michael Oher: As far as we know, Michael is single and fully focused on his sports career. He does not have a son or child of his own yet.