I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond

At Briarcrest, Oher felt like he stood out. He was larger than most students and many of them were wealthy and white. However, his classmates were welcoming and came from all walks of life. Although Oher was shy by nature, he started to feel more comfortable as he got know his peers.

On Wednesdays, the students had to attend chapel and dress up, so Oher borrowed a suit from Tony. He enjoyed the calm of chapel amid an otherwise hectic schedule. His classes troubled him, as he still had difficulty doing well on tests. Several teachers helped him in this regard. Oher’s biology teacher, Mrs. Beasley, noticed that he did well in class discussions despite his low grades. When she read Oher’s tests aloud, he performed much better.

Oher’s guidance counselor, Ms. Linda Toombs, was instrumental in arranging his schedule so he could meet his requirements while attending ESS classes. His teacher at ESS was Ms. Macki Lavender, who gave him the tools to “crack the code on how to learn” (124). In other schools, the teachers hadn’t checked his assignments—so he had to get used to the idea that everyone at Briarcrest truly cared about him and his success. Oher was an enthusiastic learner, and his teachers made him feel comfortable asking for help.

Once Oher’s grades improved, he was allowed to join the basketball team at the end of their season—his goal attained at long last. He also found success in track and field, particularly discus throwing. The summer before Oher’s junior year, he started training for football season and sought a new place to stay, feeling he accepted the Hendersons’ hospitality long enough. Other families took him in, and he felt especially grateful to his friend and football teammate Quinterio Franklin. The Franklins were also Black and not particularly wealthy, so he felt comfortable with them. By Oher’s senior year, college scouts started to notice him, which pushed him to work harder than ever to succeed.

In Chapter 12, Oher finally finds a permanent place to stay and a new family—the Tuohys. Sean Tuohy was a volunteer coach for the basketball team and also worked with the track team, which is how Oher met him. One day, Oher learned that someone set up a prepaid lunch account for him so he could choose anything in the cafeteria. Oher’s previous schools provided free food, but at Briarcrest, everyone had to pay—and it wasn’t always easy for him to find enough money to get a decent lunch.

Oher and Sean Tuohy’s paths crossed again during Thanksgiving of Oher’s junior year. Oher always dreaded holidays, as he didn’t want to impose on his host families’ time together. This particular year, he decided to stay in the school gym and practice shooting baskets. On his way to the gym, Sean Tuohy and his wife Leigh Anne passed him in their car before turning around. They explained that the gym was closed and gave Oher a ride to a bus stop.

Shortly after, Leigh Anne Tuohy offered to take Oher shopping for clothes. The Tuohys invited him home for dinner after basketball practice and let him stay over one night when he had nowhere else to go. As they got to know each other, Oher began to feel closer to the family. Leigh Anne was a direct and forceful woman, asking questions about Oher’s life until she learned the truth about his family. The summer before Oher’s senior year, the Tuohys invited him to live with them full-time, and he moved in—grateful for their generosity.

Oher eventually shifted his focus from basketball to football. While he always liked both sports, basketball was his favorite—ever since he watched Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win the NBA championship. However, he was still being called out for too many fouls, which frustrated him. Before one game, Leigh Anne Tuohy told the referees that she’d be recording the game, and if there were any bad calls, she would send the tape to the organization that oversaw school athletics. From then on, the problem was solved.

Yet, the style of basketball played at Briarcrest was not to Oher’s liking; he started shifting his focus to football. The school’s style of football was more structured than he was used to, but he enjoyed the mental challenge. At first, the team was uncertain how to best utilize Oher’s skills and considered many different positions. Finally, they settled on left tackle on the offensive line—which is where Oher came into his own. The position requires a person to read the opposing team’s defense and make last-minute adjustments, while protecting their quarterback from sacks on their blind side.

Oher kept improving and quickly became one of the best high school left tackles in the country—which brought many college scouts to Briarcrest. While Oher was proud of how far he’d come, he was uncomfortable with the attention. Naturally shy, he found it difficult to meet strangers; he was also afraid coaches would think him ignorant because of his background. Once again, Leigh Anne Tuohy stepped in to help, taking the family to different restaurants so she could teach Oher the ins and outs of etiquette.

In the end, Oher chose to attend the University of Mississippi (nicknamed “Ole Miss”). He wanted to stay close to Memphis and the Tuohys, as he had already been separated from his family once and didn’t want to feel this loss again. The Tuohys’ daughter, Collins, was also attending Ole Miss, so she and Oher would stay connected. During senior year, Oher’s mother was able to watch her son play. She attended Senior Night in a dress that the Tuohys helped her buy, and escorted Oher onto the field along with Sean and Leigh Anne.

Oher credits Sue Mitchell, “Miss Sue,” with helping him meet the University of Mississippi’s grade requirements and prepare for college-level courses. Miss Sue was an Ole Miss alumna herself and a high school English teacher in Memphis; the Tuohys hired her as Oher’s tutor.

Like many of Oher’s teachers, Miss Sue worked hard to find methods that would benefit her student. She had Oher read texts to himself (or sometimes, they would both read them aloud), and she showed him how to effectively take notes. They also used memorization, something Oher was good at (as evident in his memorizing the football team’s playbook). Of all the people who helped him, Oher writes that Miss Sue went above and beyond. She tutored him five nights a week—for free—and believed in him and his dream. Oher was able to make the honor roll during his last semester of high school—and to his surprise, Miss Sue ended up getting a job at Ole Miss as a tutor. As a result, Oher continued to benefit from her kindness throughout his undergraduate years.

Chapter 15 covers Oher’s college career at the University of Mississippi. He spent some time after high school completing an online program at Brigham Young University to improve his GPA—before jumping into football practice. Before this, Oher was legally “adopted” by the Tuohys. Because Oher had already turned 18, the process wasn’t called “adoption,” but he still legally became a member of the family he already knew he belonged to. However, the morning of was bittersweet. When the Tuohys went to pick up Oher’s mother, who needed to be in court to give her consent, one of her old (troublesome) boyfriends answered the door—reminding Oher of his good fortune in moving past his previous life.

Once Oher’s freshman year began, his exploits on the football field grew. When Oher’s team played against perennial powerhouse Alabama, a game they lost by a mere three points, he won the Rebel Quarterback Club Trench Player of the Week Award for his efforts (i.e., the offensive line allowed no sacks). This would be the first of many times he’d win the award over his college career. As a sophomore, Oher started all 12 games as his team’s left tackle and was named to the First Team All-SEC (Southeastern Conference). Throughout his undergraduate years, he won many awards—but one of the things he was proudest of was making the Chancellor’s List (a Dean’s List) during his sophomore year. Coming only a few years after his academic struggles, this achievement proved just how far he had come with hard work and support.

Oher had a stellar junior year, but the University of Mississippi did not. As a result, the football coach lost his job, and Oher faced the prospect of adjusting to a new coach during his final year. He was also eager to play in the NFL—so early in 2008, he announced his intention to be eligible for the draft. However, he soon had second thoughts, as there was more to life than the short career of an NFL player; he had worked too hard to miss out on a degree. Thus, Oher reversed course and stayed in school for his senior year. He made the Chancellor’s List again and won many awards, including being named to the First Team All-SEC and the First Team All-American.