Tracy Rocker Days Away From College Football Kickoff
Historic Rocker
Another Great # 74, Michael Oher, Ole Miss
Michael Oher, who is known as the inspiration for the best-selling book and movie “The Blind Side,” was a standout lineman at Ole Miss. He started 47 straight games from 2005 to 2008, earning two All-American honors and three All-SEC selections.
In 2008, Oher was a finalist for both the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s top lineman, and the Conerly Trophy. He was also a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award. That year, league coaches named Oher the SEC’s best blocker with the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and he received the Shug Jordan Award as the Southeast Offensive Lineman of the Year from The Touchdown Club of Atlanta.
Oher’s professional career began when the Baltimore Ravens picked him 23rd overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons in the NFL, starting all 110 games of his career. Oher started 13 playoff games and played in two Super Bowls: he won Super Bowl XLVII as the Ravens’ starting right tackle in 2012 and started at left tackle for the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in 2015.
One More Great #74, John Hicks, Ohio State
John Hicks started for three years at tackle under Hall of Fame Coach Woody Hayes. During that time, Ohio State won Big Ten Conference championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973, and played in the Rose Bowl each season. He was the first player to start in three Rose Bowls and was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2009.
Hicks made history in 1973. He was a unanimous All-American and won both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy, recognizing him as the nation’s best interior lineman.
Hicks was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants and played for them from 1974 to 1977. He was inducted into the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. After football, he ran a real estate development company and gave back to the community through organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Central Ohio and the Central Ohio Diabetes Association.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
