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Michael Oher Version 2.0: O.C. Brown (And More About “The Blind Side”)
Published: January 3, 2010
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Maybe ABC read my article The Blind Side: Fact or Fiction, I’m a Michael Oher Fan.
But more likely, they probably had their special, The Blind Side: The Real Story Behind the Movie planned weeks ago.
Either way, last Friday night, I sat down to watch the truth behind the hit Hollywood movie.
While I had down some research after my viewing of the movie to write my first article, 20/20 got first-hand myth-debunking from Oher and the Tuohy family themselves.
I was impressed when Oher admitted to being a bit upset at being portrayed in the movie as being bad at football until a loving Leigh Anne Tuohy gave him a stern lecture. He says football has always been a passion of his and he has always excelled at it.
Particularly intriguing was Collins Tuohy, who is very attached to her “brother,” Michael.
Giving up her Advanced Placement classes to be in the same classes as Michael in school, she would sometimes spend several hours studying with him after school to help him stay up to speed with his schoolwork.
The interview continues and can be found at: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/BlindSide/
In the special we are also introduced to O.C. Brown, who some are calling the next Michael Oher.
Also from the same tough streets of North Memphis, Brown was being raised by his grandmother while playing high school football—left tackle just like Oher—when his grades started to slip.
His grandmother said he would have to stop playing football if his grades got any worse.
Word of Brown’s grades spread around the volunteer coaching staff, who pulled together to get him tutoring and even had families offering to house him so he could be closer to his tutors.
Does this story sound familiar?
But Brown was different in that he had a family and didn’t want to leave them. So a compromise was reached.
He stayed with a member of the volunteer staff, Michael Ray, and his family Monday-Thursday and with his grandmother and the rest of his family on the weekends. The plan was for him to stay for one month.
It’s lasted much longer than that, but his life is much improved.
His grades have gone up and attention is pointing towards him and the comparison to Oher.
Some have said these families are being selfish and could help children of their own race, that they are just helping mold these kids into big-time football stars.
But Leigh Anne Tuohy has a few words for those people:
“Don’t let the door hit them in the butt on the way out.”
She said since the movie, people from all over the world have contacted her, telling her how inspired they were by their story and how they plan to cancel vacations and donate their money—or time—to help others.
And you know Michael Oher and O.C. Brown will be on top of that list to help.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
“The Blind Side”: Fact or Fiction, I’m a Michael Oher Fan
Published: December 17, 2009
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I’ve never been a real big football fan.
I’m one of those people who watches the Super Bowl and maybe a playoff game here or there.
I’ve seen “Rudy” and root for my hometown football team if I’m around a TV they are on (go Giants!).
But after seeing “The Blind Side,” not only do I want to become a football fan, I want to root for the Ravens and wear an Oher jersey.
I know the life of Michael Oher was glamorized for the big screen, but after doing some research, Hollywood stayed pretty close to his story. Granted Tim McGraw was a pretty big stretch to play Sean Tuohy, but I’ll never complain about seeing Tim on a big screen.
From the opening scene, I was taken in by the story of the boy lost on the streets of Memphis.
By now, every one knows “Big Mike’s” story.
As a journalist, however, it’s interesting to see the differences between the movie and the actual facts of his life.
For example, in the movie, Oher finds out his father committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. In actuality, his father was murdered.
A good portion of the movie is devoted to Oher’s education and his learning techniques.
In dramatic form, he needed a 2.5 GPA (grade point average) to get into an NCAA Division I school. One of the final scenes of the movie has Leigh Anne announcing he received a 2.52 at Oher’s high school graduation ceremony.
While this did happen, it’s not quite accurate. Oher needed more than a 2.65 GPA and achieved this by taking online classes via a BYU program, which was combined with his already achieved 2.52 GPA.
This is not mentioned in the movie.
What is mentioned, however, is the controversy over Oher’s choice of going to the University of Mississippi—the alma mater of the gracious couple who took him in.
The NCAA did a thorough investigation and concluded nothing wrong had occurred.
Sandra Bullock’s voice narrated the end of the movie and then the fans got a real treat—and I got teary-eyed.
Archival footage of the 2009 NFL draft, where the Baltimore Ravens picked Michael Oher, 23rd overall, in the first round.
No Hollywood glamor, no actor portraying Oher.
And the actual Touhy family by his side. No Sandra Bullock, no Tim McGraw. Just Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy along with their children, SJ and Collins.
As the credits rolled, we also got to see pictures of Oher’s life as he grew up. The scenes we saw in the movie were in front of our eyes as they had happened and it felt more real.
It was the second time I saw a sports movie where the audience cheered at the end.
The first was when I saw “Miracle,” the story of the 1980 Winter Olympics United States Mens Hockey Team.
I was negative three years old when the events of “Miracle” happened.
The story of Michael Oher is much more real to me and I found myself looking intensely at every picture on the screen.
I can’t wait to watch the next Ravens game.
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