Michael Oher

Not every NFL player gets a Hollywood movie made about their life. That’s right. We’re talking about Michael Oher of “The Blind Side” fame. Although the movie is more dramatized than his real life, Oher still faced plenty of challenges leading up to his NFL career. He grew up in poverty and an unstable home, hopping from caretaker to caretaker in foster care.

He eventually met the Tuohy family, who provided him with opportunities to further his career. He went on to play with the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Carolina Panthers.  If you’d rather hear Oher’s story in his own words rather than watch the Sandra Bullock movie, you can read his memoir, “I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond,” which was published in 2011.