• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

LB A.J. Hawk (2x All-American, Lombardi Trophy, National Champion, Super Bowl Champion)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
http://dispatch.com/football/football.php?story=dispatch/2005/12/08/20051208-E1-00.html
Best of the best?
Lombardi winner Hawk might go down as top linebacker in OSU’s rich history
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Ken Gordon and Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--> <table class="phototableright" align="right" border="0"><!-- begin large ad code --> <tbody><tr><td> <table align="center"> <tbody><tr><td align="center">
20051208-Pc-E2-1000.jpg
</td></tr> <tr><td class="credit" width="200"> NEAL C . LAURON | DISPATCH </td></tr> <tr><td class="cutline" width="200">A.J. Hawk arrived at OSU in the shadows of fellow recruiting class members Stan White Jr., Bobby Carpenter and Mike D’Andrea. </td></tr> <tr><td align="center">
20051208-Pc-E2-1100.jpg
</td></tr> <tr><td align="center">
20051208-Pc-E1-0600.jpg
</td></tr> <tr><td class="credit" width="200"> NEAL C . LAURON | DISPATCH </td></tr> <tr><td class="cutline" width="200">A.J. Hawk, collaring Indiana’s Jahkeen Gilmore, has led Ohio State in tackles the past three seasons. </td></tr> <tr><td align="center">
20051208-Pc-E1-0800.jpg
</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table>
A.J. Hawk’s college career that began with talk of switching to fullback is ending with a nationwide tour of awards banquets.
The once underappreciated Ohio State linebacker is capping his stellar career this week with a six-day, three-state swing. It got off to a big start last night, when he won the Lombardi Award, and Hawk also is a finalist for the Butkus, Walter Camp, Bednarik and Lott awards, in chronological order.
And what was the Centerville native concerned with most this week? Missing practice.
"I’m going to try to make the best of it when I get out there and enjoy it," Hawk said. "It’s an honor to be a part of that, but it’s kind of tough cutting into the practice schedule and stuff."
That’s typical of the "awshucks" style that has endeared him to his teammates. He was voted team most valuable player by his peers last week.
Hawk has been the Buckeyes’ leading tackler for three straight seasons. He was the Big Ten Preseason Defensive Player of the Year the past two years, winning the in-season award this year.
Not bad for an unheralded player out of high school who was overshadowed in his recruiting class by linebackers Stan White Jr., Bobby Carpenter and Mike D’Andrea.
He will be remembered as one of OSU’s all-time great linebackers after winning the Lombardi.
"It’s a huge honor, first of all, and it was kind of embarrassing, because (Luke) Fickell, my position coach, he introduced me and he said all kinds of good things about me," Hawk said. "It was a pretty big surprise, too, because once I got here I got to know the other finalists (Texas defensive tackle Rodrigue Wright, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil), they’re all great players and great guys."
Those who know Hawk best praise his work ethic, attitude and determination.
"I work out with him every day, and the way he practices, he practices like he plays," linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "He’s up there (among the alltime best). I think people are going to remember the way he played with such intensity and was just a great leader and always left it on the field."
Carpenter tried to compare the different eras in which OSU’s standout linebackers played.
"It’s kind of the modern era," he said. "Some of the linebackers we’ve had before were great run stoppers. But he does a reat job stopping the run, rushing the passer, defending the pass — he can really do it all. He’s the total package."
Coach Jim Tressel left the "who’s best?" decision to others.
"That will be determined by the writer or the person doing the comparisons, but I would have a hard time thinking there were too many better," Tressel said. "When you look at our great legacy of linebackers, some of them made even greater names for themselves in the NFL, and some people made their mark more at Ohio State.
"I’m hoping for A.J. that he leaves that mark both places, because if he does what I think he’s capable of doing, maybe one day people will be saying he was the best one ever."
Like Tressel, former Buckeyes greats had trouble making a definitive statement on Hawk’s place in history.
"I never wanted that kind of comparison made about me," Chris Spielman said, "because it’s not fair to anybody in a team game to say, ‘He was the best linebacker, the best running back, the best lineman.’ "
It’s OK to group players, though, Spielman said, putting Hawk in among Tom Cousineau, Randy Gradishar, Marcus Marek, Pepper Johnson and "maybe" himself.
Gradishar said he’d add the school’s only Butkus Award winner, Andy Katzenmoyer. But he said assigning an order of greatness is foolish.
"That’s why you have a top five, six or 10 — you look at that list and you won’t see two guys who are physically alike," Gradishar said. "Some guys are taller, or bigger, or stronger, or faster.
"But there are some things they have in common. One is heart. And there’s focus, determination, toughness and just that innate ability to find out where the ball is.
"In the end, really, all a coach wants is somebody who is going to make a tackle. That’s the essence of playing defense."
Spielman said he knew from the time he watched Hawk in the Ohio North-South all-star game in the summer of 2002 that he had the ingredients to make the list.
"The first thing that stood out was he was a natural football player," Spielman said. "He knows how to maneuver his body, his instincts are good, he’s almost always in the right spot — he’s got all the intangibles.
"He’s got it, whatever it is."
Marek said he also has seen it in Hawk.
"He is an exciting guy to watch," Marek said. "I think he is going to be a great linebacker for a while because he has all the tools and he does a lot of things well. I study linebackers, and as you watch him play, he just seems to have a knack for being around the ball.
"He’s a little bit like Spielman in that sense."
Marek also thinks it is impossible to make the declaration "best ever" about anyone.
"Each of us played with different teams in different times, and we all had different skills," Marek said. "We each had our strengths and weaknesses, and the better you are at covering for those weaknesses, the better linebacker you are.
"For example, I was allergic to the 40-yard dash. I couldn’t run a good time if my life depended on it. But I like to think I was a little smarter player on the field even if I wasn’t the most athletic."
In catching glimpses of Hawk’s play, Gradishar said he has been impressed.
"He’s got that range, the ability to go sideline to sideline, and you can see he’s got the toughness and determination," Gradishar said. "He’s made plays all over the field. That’s why he’s considered one of the best."
[email protected]

[email protected]
Click to expand...


Ar0400200.gif
 
Upvote 0
OK, so I didn't want to look through the whole thread , so I thought I'd ask. My brother called & said he'd heard that Hawk is dating Quinn's sister ?? Man if this is true, that's a great storyline !!Hawk--"Don't worry, babe. I won't break all of your bro's bones, just a few." I mean, she would be a nervous wreck. Is this a fact or not ??
 
Upvote 0
Texasize said:
OK, so I didn't want to look through the whole thread , so I thought I'd ask. My brother called & said he'd heard that Hawk is dating Quinn's sister ?? Man if this is true, that's a great storyline !!Hawk--"Don't worry, babe. I won't break all of your bro's bones, just a few." I mean, she would be a nervous wreck. Is this a fact or not ??
Click to expand...

it's a fact... Hawk confirmed it on ESPN.
 
Upvote 0
Texasize said:
OK, so I didn't want to look through the whole thread , so I thought I'd ask. My brother called & said he'd heard that Hawk is dating Quinn's sister ?? Man if this is true, that's a great storyline !!Hawk--"Don't worry, babe. I won't break all of your bro's bones, just a few." I mean, she would be a nervous wreck. Is this a fact or not ??
Click to expand...

Its true.

They even had Hawk and Quinn sitting next to each other on the awards show tonight talking with Herby about the Fiesta Bowl and Hawk dating Quinn's sister.
 
Upvote 0
bucknut11 said:
Maybe they can only count tackles. What a joke.

Pos. 111 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks, ZERO turnovers forced
Hawk. 109 tackles, 13 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 Fumble recovery, 2 fumbles forced, 1 TOUCHDOWN

It's not even close.
Click to expand...
Im tellin ya, its the JoPa factor...give the old man some player awards. BOOO
 
Upvote 0
Defensive player of the year can't even win the B10 player of the year? I was completely shocked about this one.

Oh well. Congrats anyways AJ. Great to be considered for 5 different awards - we're all very proud of your on and off the field contributions to tOSU!!!

(...and I'm sure you would have had a much better, more coherent acceptance speech... Pos has been hanging around JoePa too long :tongue2:)
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top