• 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
High Lonesome said:
Trojans are really upsest at the attention that vince gets. you would think that they could share the love a little. I mean sports center is allready comparing them to the 10 greatest teams of all time and they haven't even won the rose bowl yet...i don't think
Click to expand...

Where have you been? They were awarded the national title in a "simulated" press conference on ESPN back in August. They're not even going to be in Pasadena on January fourth. This whole season has been one big elaborate ruse perpetrated on all of us by USC and the national sports media. It was all a waste of time.
 
Upvote 0
During the halftime show for the Las Vegas Bowl, Mark May was giving out his "Christmas Gifts" for 3 of the BCS bowl teams. One of his gifts was a "lock of AJ Hawk's hair" to Jim Tressel, because he said that he thought that Hawk was one of the best linebackers in the last decade, and that Tressel should take that hair and clone another monster of a LB from it.


Kinda nice seein May give some respect to Ohio State.
 
Upvote 0
ScarletBlood31 said:
During the halftime show for the Las Vegas Bowl, Mark May was giving out his "Christmas Gifts" for 3 of the BCS bowl teams. One of his gifts was a "lock of AJ Hawk's hair" to Jim Tressel, because he said that he thought that Hawk was one of the best linebackers in the last decade, and that Tressel should take that hair and clone another monster of a LB from it.


Kinda nice seein May give some respect to Ohio State.
Click to expand...

What's gotten into him? He sure sounded like a dumbass when he said Hawk couldn't go sideline to sideline early in the year.
 
Upvote 0
7 45 33 48 said:
He sure sounded like a dumbass when he said Hawk couldn't go sideline to sideline early in the year.
Click to expand...

He actually said that? What a dumbass. Remember at the beginning of the year he said Gerald Riggs Jr. would be a Heisman candidate? I felt like I was the only one that didn't buy Riggs being a great player. Everything about Tennessee sucked this year. I bet as we speak Fat Phil's eating a dozen doughnuts.
 
Upvote 0
link

12/27/05

Ohio State football

Brothers teach Hawk not to couch it

Buckeyes star linebacker expected to be chosen with high pick in draft

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->COLUMBUS - Raising three boys made for such a testosterone-filled household that Keith Hawk might have been the only father in Centerville, Ohio, who knew where to get a couch repaired.

``Trying to repair them, it's like a wrecked car, it's not so good once it's wrecked,'' Hawk said. ``We got a new couch more often than most people did. They lasted about three years, and then, we couldn't fix them anymore.''

Keith and Judy Hawk didn't know whether their children Matt (now 27), Ryan (24) or A.J. (21) would become sports stars. They were just concerned with surviving their rough-and-tumble everyday life.

``We bought them boxing gloves and headgear to bring some sanity to the fights,'' Keith Hawk said. ``We don't hug, we wrestle. Judy still screams when A.J. gets me down on the floor and pins me. I'm on my back, he's driving me into the ground and I'm saying, `We're just hugging.'

``It was all male. To the uninitiated, it probably looked kinda wild.''

Keith Hawk might give a ``Don't try this at home'' warning to parents who hope their son will become a two-time All-American like A.J., an Ohio State senior linebacker. Getting pinned by a 6-foot-1, 240-pound hulk like the Lombardi Award winner can't be good for a father's back.

Hawk does possess plenty of traits to admire: tough, smart, relentless, dedicated and competitive. Hawk might eventually be considered the best linebacker to play at Ohio State, surpassing Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau and Chris Spielman. Hawk will close out his career Monday against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

Some analysts have Hawk rated the No. 3 player in the NFL Draft in April behind Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart of Southern Cal.

``That part is surreal,'' Keith Hawk said. ``I still think that's a little high. It's an unbelievable opportunity he's going to have, but I don't think he'll ever think the NFL will seem bigger than Ohio State.''

In that kind of environment, Hawk has remained humble. Once considered a shoo-in for the Butkus Award given to the nation's best linebacker, he took it in stride when he lost out to Penn State junior Paul Posluszny.

``It made me realize toward the end it's almost a political campaign,'' A.J. Hawk said. ``I'm not saying that's the reason I didn't win it, that's definitely not an excuse. I understand what goes into it.''

Hawk visited Houston, Orlando, Fla., and Huntington Beach, Calif., in a span of five days earlier this month as a finalist for the Lombardi, Butkus, Bednarik, Walter Camp and Lott awards, and his biggest worry was missing bowl practice.

When he returned, he said the best part was the hospital visits.

``I appreciated seeing kids throughout the country,'' Hawk said. ``Making an impact is what I enjoy.

``One of the first places I went was a juvenile center. One of the kids said he'd just gotten there, and he really wanted to turn his life around because he has seen what we can do. He said, `I can try to follow you guys.' I was surprised, the kid was probably 12 years old and seemed pretty mature.''

Ohio State senior center Nick Mangold, a Centerville native who attended Kettering Alter, has been Hawk's roommate for four years and is following him, too.

Asked his first impression of Hawk, Mangold said, ``The psycho he is. I've never seen anybody work that hard at lifting. He's always up at 6 a.m. I'd heard stories but didn't think it was actually real.

``Now I see his personality and why he does that. It's his desire to be the best. That's one of the greatest things he's passed on to me.''

Keith Hawk said his son got up at 5 a.m. to work out on the awards tour.

``He always says he feels bad and slovenly if he doesn't get in his lift,'' Keith Hawk said.

A.J. Hawk said his work ethic came from his brothers and the coaches at Centerville, Bob Gregg and Ron Ullery.

``I was the youngest, I was always looking to my brothers to see what I was supposed to do. I basically followed them my whole life,'' A.J. said.

``My high school coaches influenced me the most. They molded me into what type of player I am and how I do things. I had a brother who is six years older go through the program. I saw how hard they worked him. My brother two years older than me, I watched him. Once I got there I had an idea of what they expected. I knew what it was like to work. I knew what you had to do if you wanted to win.''

Ullery doesn't take credit for Hawk's work ethic. He figures some of it came from Ryan Hawk, a quarterback who transferred from Miami University to Ohio. He plans to play Arena Football in March.

``Ryan had that competitive fire; it probably helped them both,'' Ullery said. ``Ryan was highly motivated and driven. He was also very humble and appreciative of people who helped him and A.J. is the same way.''

Ullery said OSU recruiting coordinator John Peterson told him he pulled up at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center the Monday after the Michigan game, and Hawk was sitting in his car waiting for someone to unlock the door.

``They ought to just give him a key,'' Ullery said.

Mangold said Hawk is a stickler for cleanliness, insists on riding shotgun and is very quiet until you get to know him. If there's another Hawk trait you don't want to try at home, it's his penchant for avoiding banks.

The apartment Hawk shares with Mangold and another roommate was vandalized over the Thanksgiving break and part of the thieves' reward was Hawk's safe that contained $3,000. Keith Hawk told his son if he earned a college scholarship, he would pay for his food so A.J. could use his meal money for living expenses. His saving habits, though, are peculiar.

``He didn't put anything in the bank. He collected it,'' Mangold said. ``It's like living with a person during the Depression. It was all in a safe. Before that, he had it hidden throughout his room. I guess his grandfather does that, that's where he got it from.''

Also a possible NFL first-round draft pick, Mangold jokes that he's going to be Hawk's pool boy next year.

``Being the third pick he'll be able to afford a bigger pool house,'' Mangold said. ``He may not spend a dime of any money he gets. He's going to have to find a lot of hiding places.''
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
espn.com

12/28/05

Hawk the unquestioned leader of Ohio State's defense



This is the part of being one of the most accomplished linebackers in Ohio State football history that A.J. Hawk hates: He's sitting in the audience at the Lombardi Award ceremonies, tugging uncomfortably on the collar of his rental tuxedo, listening to OSU assistant coach Luke Fickell say embarrassingly nice things about him, all the while wishing he could just be back in Columbus where his teammates began their preparations for the Jan. 2 kickoff against Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

"I hate to miss practice, for whatever reason," Hawk said. "Then, to hear coach Fickell say that stuff about me, it was kind of weird."


It's not that Hawk didn't appreciate being selected the nation's best interior lineman or linebacker, and it's not that he didn't have a place on his mantel for the 45-pound hunk of granite that goes to the Lombardi winner.

After all, two weeks before Hawk took home that honor, he suddenly found himself significantly lighter in the possessions department after thieves broke into the house he rents and lifted assorted electronic equipment and other personal items, including $3,000 cash from Hawk's room.

Which brings us back to that aspect of being one of the most accomplished linebackers in Ohio State football history that A.J. Hawk hates.

The notoriety.

Alarms went off among Buckeye Nation when police reports detailed how much money Hawk lost, sparking debate about how he could have accumulated such a windfall.

After all, it was just a year ago at this time that OSU quarterback Troy Smith was suspended from the MasterCard Alamo Bowl for taking $500 from a booster.

And Hawk was, after all, seen exchanging pleasantries with NFL super-agent Drew "Next Question" Rosenhaus after the Buckeyes' Oct. 29 victory at Minnesota.

"That was pretty unbelievable to me," Hawk said. "Everybody was jumping to conclusions about the money, but it was really no big deal. I mean, it was a lot of money, but I had nothing to hide. Every month, I make some money off my scholarship check after I pay my rent, which is about $400 a month. The leftover goes in my pocket. My parents have been good to pay for my food, my car and my gas. I pretty much save [the rest], and I was in the process of going to the bank with it."

The thieves got there first, which really rankled Hawk, because ever since he stepped into Ohio State's starting lineup as a sophomore, he's specialized in being there first, preventing anyone on the other side from getting away with anything.

That's why Hawk has led the Buckeyes in tackles the past three seasons to rank fifth in career stops at OSU with 382, including 37½ tackles for loss.
Hawk saved his best for his final season, winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and joining Heisman Trophy-winner Reggie Bush as the only unanimous selections on The Associated Press All-America team.

"He is an impressive-looking kid," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said of Hawk. "He handles himself very well and looks pretty good on tape. You don't win the Lombardi Award by not being a good player. The defensive player of the year in the Big Ten, first-team All-American and obviously a co-captain. He is the leader of their defense. He is a really good player. He is physical and can run. He shows up on a whole bunch of plays."

So many, that Hawk's teammates were stung to the point of irritation when other players won the three additional national awards for which Hawk was a finalist. He came up empty on the Lott Trophy and the Bednarik and Butkus awards, with none rankling Hawk's buddies more than the selection of Penn State's Paul Posluszny as the Butkus recipient as the nation's best linebacker.

"I don't understand how you give it to a guy who's had one [good] year," OSU middle linebacker Anthony Schlegel said. "[Posluszny] hasn't done what A.J. has done over his career here. To say he's a better linebacker than A.J. Hawk, I completely disagree."

Hawk's other running mate at linebacker, Bobby Carpenter, was similarly steamed.
<!---------------------PULL-QUOTE TABLE (BEGIN)---------------------><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=4><SPACER type="block" width="3" height="1"></TD><TD>[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/FONT]</TD><TD width=225>[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]He just goes about his business and works hard and tries to get better every day, and that's why you see the results from him over time that have made him one of the best to ever play here. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]”[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=4><SPACER type="block" width="3" height="1"></TD><TD></TD><TD width=225>[FONT=Times,serif]—[/FONT][FONT=Times,serif]Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, on A.J. Hawk[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------PULL-QUOTE TABLE (END)--------------------->

"I'm not too sure how you can be Big Ten [Defensive] Player of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American, and not win the Butkus or Lott or Bednarik," Carpenter said. "He should have won them all, in my opinion."

Which brings us back to that aspect of being one of the most accomplished linebackers in Ohio State history that Hawk hates.

"I appreciate Anthony and Bobby saying that, but really, it's no big deal to me," Hawk said. "It doesn't bother me that I didn't win those other awards. Winning the Butkus would have been nice, but Paul had a great year. All of those other guys did. I got the chance to meet them while I was traveling around to all the banquets and they're all good guys and great players."

That same description summarizes Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's feelings about Hawk, who came to OSU so unheralded at his position that rumors swirled about him being immediately shifted to fullback.

"I guess that says something about how much attention should be paid to recruiting rankings," Tressel said. "What's made A.J. so special is that he doesn't really pay attention to what anyone says about him, whether it's good or bad. He just goes about his business and works hard and tries to get better every day, and that's why you see the results from him over time that have made him one of the best to ever play here."

Heady company since Hawk's predecessors at linebacker include former Buckeyes Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau, Pepper Johnson, Chris Spielman and Andy Katzenmoyer.

Each of those players made at least one Rose Bowl appearance during their careers, which used to be the gold standard for team performance at OSU. Times are different now in the Bowl Championship Series era, when finishing No. 1 is the be-all-end-all of everything in Division I-A.

Hawk checked that item off his list as a freshman contributor in the Buckeyes' 31-24 double-overtime triumph against Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

This return trip to Tempe and the matchup against Notre Dame is perhaps the most anticipated Ohio State game since then, rivaling the summer buildup to OSU's 25-22 loss to Texas on Sept. 10 in Ohio Stadium.
Hawk was breathtaking that night in the Horseshoe, finishing with 12 tackles, including three for loss and two quarterback sacks, one forced fumble and another which he recovered, plus an interception and 24-yard return to set up an OSU field goal.

His target Jan. 2 will be Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, which brings us back to that aspect of being one of the most accomplished linebackers in Ohio State history that Hawk hates.

That's because Hawk has been dating Quinn's oldest sister, Lauren, since the summer.

"Brady likes A.J. a lot," Lauren Quinn told Jay Crawford on ESPN's "Cold Pizza." "He respects him very much as a player. I think he's glad I'm with someone who's a good guy. He's fine with it."

A lot more fine with it than Hawk is with the additional notoriety the relationship is sure to bring to the Fiesta Bowl's buildup.

"I'm sure it makes for a good story," Hawk said. "I figured it would probably get out eventually. It's not going to change anything on the field, of course. Everything is going to be the same for him and for me. It will just make our moms a little more nervous."
Bruce Hooley covered the Big Ten for 18 years and now hosts a daily talk show on WBNS-AM 1460 in Columbus, Ohio.
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top