Rivers Rutherford
05-05-2006, 10:35 AM
Not sure if this has been posted or not, but here it is:
http://www.ajhawk.com/
Here's one article from the site:
Hawk soars to OSU legendary status
About midway through A.J. Hawk's freshman year at Ohio State, he got cut during practice, and blood streamed down his forehead. No big deal.
But the coaches had to take Hawk's helmet away from him just to keep the determined gladiator off the field.
"And that wasn't a game or a scrimmage or anything the players would consider fun - it was just a practice," said OSU center Nick Mangold, Hawk's close friend and roommate.
"People talk about all of the great plays he's made during his four years here, but for me, that incident tells more about the kind of guy he is. He's the best player out there, but he is so determined to practice that they have to take his helmet from him to keep him out of contact - and I wasn't so sure that would even work."
Hawk, a two-time All-American senior linebacker, closes a phenomenal career tomorrow when the Buckeyes meet Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
Nobody expected history in the making when Hawk was recruited out of Centerville, near Dayton.
"He was a legend on the football field locally, but I don't think even those of us who grew up watching A.J. imagined he would be one of the all-time greats at his position," said Mangold, who is from Centerville but played at Kettering Alter.
"I'd like to say I saw all that potential way back in sixth-grade football. But there has always just been something special about him, something that everyone talked about. We'd be sitting in school before practice, just saying to each other, 'What's A.J. gonna do today?' "
Hawk was the 25th of 26 players signed by the Buckeyes in his recruiting class after missing much of his senior season in high school because of injury.
As a freshman in 2002, he immediately started making plays that turned heads, and he has never stopped.
"I have just always felt privileged and honored to be a part of this football team, and to play for Ohio State," Hawk said as the Buckeyes made final preparations for tomorrow's game. "I never felt like I was anything special. I just feel like a very lucky guy."
As his career in Columbus comes to an end, Hawk is positioned right beside such Ohio State linebacker legends as Chris Spielman, Andy Katzenmoyer, Pepper Johnson, Steve Tovar, Tom Cousineau and Randy Gradishar. Some say he is possibly the best ever at his position to wear the scarlet and gray.
Spielman, a former pro who is now a college football analyst for ESPN, is in that growing club.
"I believe A.J. Hawk is the best linebacker in college football, and the best defensive player in the game," he said. "He does things on the football field that stop you in your tracks and grab your attention. He is the complete student-athlete, and a player who is a powerful leader by the example he sets."
Hawk's persistence on the practice field, the folklore surrounding his warrior-style workouts in the weight room, and the fact he has never demanded anything from a teammate that he has not already done himself have earned him a place of reverence with the Buckeyes.
"Off the field, A.J. is quiet. He's a humble guy," safety Donte Whitner said. "He is a great player, but he's not a guy who walks around bragging on himself. He's a humble guy, a selfless guy. And that selflessness, that's a big thing with his teammates. To us, he's just a regular guy, who happens to be an All-American."
Hawk led the Buckeyes in tackles as a sophomore, had a 55-yard interception return against North Carolina State, and was the defensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl as the Buckeyes returned to the desert after winning the national championship here the year before.
"Play after play, A.J. is a guy who is going to give you 110 percent," Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith said. "I know that sounds like a clich, but when I'm talking about A.J., that has to be mentioned. He gets the job done every play."
Hawk was the Big Ten's preseason defensive player of the year as a junior, when he had a team-best 141 tackles - the most by a Buckeye in almost 20 years. That total included a 20-tackle game against Wisconsin. His reputation continued to grow.
"A lot more people were aware of A.J. Hawk once he came to Ohio State and they saw him do things like that," Mangold said. "But as we went through high school, it was solidified even more that there is something special about him. I think it was a cumulative kind of thing - the way he worked in the weight room, relentlessly pushing himself, and the way he seemed to figure in on every big defensive play."
This season Hawk won the prestigious Lombardi Award, but finished second in the voting for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top linebacker.
"I still can't believe that," Anthony Schlegel, who plays linebacker next to Hawk, said. "I've watched A.J. Hawk every day, and there's no one better. He practices as hard as he plays, and nobody plays the game harder than A.J."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Hawk has taught the Buckeyes staff not to assume the play is over until Hawk has been accounted for. In a win at Minnesota this season, the runner reached out, grabbed Hawk's face mask, and twisted his head back while ripping off Hawk's helmet. Hawk never gave an inch, still wrapped up the player, made the tackle for a loss, and the penalty was tacked on.
"He's amazing," Tressel said. "All he does is work. He loves it, loves practice, loves the weight room, loves to hit people. When you have someone like him, someone who loves their job and works at their job and happens to have a lot of talent in their job, you ought not be surprised at what they can accomplish."
Ohio State assistant coach Tim Beckman, who is completing his first season with the Buckeyes, said he has appreciated the opportunity to be around a rare individual like Hawk.
"The thing that strikes me about A.J., his heart is as big as his body," Beckman said. "He wants to prove that he is an outstanding player, and he keeps proving it, over and over again. He studies the game like no one else, and that's the way he plays it."
Hawk will exit in the national college spotlight as one of the featured competitors in the
Fiesta Bowl, then will wrap up his career later this month in the Senior Bowl. He is expected to be an early first-round pick in the NFL draft.
Mangold, who has had the best vantage point for observing Hawk from the peewee football ranks to this national stage, said he should have known Hawk was destined for greatness.
"The fans at Ohio State have seen that he is something special, something exceptional," he said. "I guess I should have known that a long time ago. It wasn't like he was benching 225 pounds when he was 6 years old or anything. But he probably could have if he wanted to."
http://www.ajhawk.com/
Here's one article from the site:
Hawk soars to OSU legendary status
About midway through A.J. Hawk's freshman year at Ohio State, he got cut during practice, and blood streamed down his forehead. No big deal.
But the coaches had to take Hawk's helmet away from him just to keep the determined gladiator off the field.
"And that wasn't a game or a scrimmage or anything the players would consider fun - it was just a practice," said OSU center Nick Mangold, Hawk's close friend and roommate.
"People talk about all of the great plays he's made during his four years here, but for me, that incident tells more about the kind of guy he is. He's the best player out there, but he is so determined to practice that they have to take his helmet from him to keep him out of contact - and I wasn't so sure that would even work."
Hawk, a two-time All-American senior linebacker, closes a phenomenal career tomorrow when the Buckeyes meet Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
Nobody expected history in the making when Hawk was recruited out of Centerville, near Dayton.
"He was a legend on the football field locally, but I don't think even those of us who grew up watching A.J. imagined he would be one of the all-time greats at his position," said Mangold, who is from Centerville but played at Kettering Alter.
"I'd like to say I saw all that potential way back in sixth-grade football. But there has always just been something special about him, something that everyone talked about. We'd be sitting in school before practice, just saying to each other, 'What's A.J. gonna do today?' "
Hawk was the 25th of 26 players signed by the Buckeyes in his recruiting class after missing much of his senior season in high school because of injury.
As a freshman in 2002, he immediately started making plays that turned heads, and he has never stopped.
"I have just always felt privileged and honored to be a part of this football team, and to play for Ohio State," Hawk said as the Buckeyes made final preparations for tomorrow's game. "I never felt like I was anything special. I just feel like a very lucky guy."
As his career in Columbus comes to an end, Hawk is positioned right beside such Ohio State linebacker legends as Chris Spielman, Andy Katzenmoyer, Pepper Johnson, Steve Tovar, Tom Cousineau and Randy Gradishar. Some say he is possibly the best ever at his position to wear the scarlet and gray.
Spielman, a former pro who is now a college football analyst for ESPN, is in that growing club.
"I believe A.J. Hawk is the best linebacker in college football, and the best defensive player in the game," he said. "He does things on the football field that stop you in your tracks and grab your attention. He is the complete student-athlete, and a player who is a powerful leader by the example he sets."
Hawk's persistence on the practice field, the folklore surrounding his warrior-style workouts in the weight room, and the fact he has never demanded anything from a teammate that he has not already done himself have earned him a place of reverence with the Buckeyes.
"Off the field, A.J. is quiet. He's a humble guy," safety Donte Whitner said. "He is a great player, but he's not a guy who walks around bragging on himself. He's a humble guy, a selfless guy. And that selflessness, that's a big thing with his teammates. To us, he's just a regular guy, who happens to be an All-American."
Hawk led the Buckeyes in tackles as a sophomore, had a 55-yard interception return against North Carolina State, and was the defensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl as the Buckeyes returned to the desert after winning the national championship here the year before.
"Play after play, A.J. is a guy who is going to give you 110 percent," Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith said. "I know that sounds like a clich, but when I'm talking about A.J., that has to be mentioned. He gets the job done every play."
Hawk was the Big Ten's preseason defensive player of the year as a junior, when he had a team-best 141 tackles - the most by a Buckeye in almost 20 years. That total included a 20-tackle game against Wisconsin. His reputation continued to grow.
"A lot more people were aware of A.J. Hawk once he came to Ohio State and they saw him do things like that," Mangold said. "But as we went through high school, it was solidified even more that there is something special about him. I think it was a cumulative kind of thing - the way he worked in the weight room, relentlessly pushing himself, and the way he seemed to figure in on every big defensive play."
This season Hawk won the prestigious Lombardi Award, but finished second in the voting for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top linebacker.
"I still can't believe that," Anthony Schlegel, who plays linebacker next to Hawk, said. "I've watched A.J. Hawk every day, and there's no one better. He practices as hard as he plays, and nobody plays the game harder than A.J."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Hawk has taught the Buckeyes staff not to assume the play is over until Hawk has been accounted for. In a win at Minnesota this season, the runner reached out, grabbed Hawk's face mask, and twisted his head back while ripping off Hawk's helmet. Hawk never gave an inch, still wrapped up the player, made the tackle for a loss, and the penalty was tacked on.
"He's amazing," Tressel said. "All he does is work. He loves it, loves practice, loves the weight room, loves to hit people. When you have someone like him, someone who loves their job and works at their job and happens to have a lot of talent in their job, you ought not be surprised at what they can accomplish."
Ohio State assistant coach Tim Beckman, who is completing his first season with the Buckeyes, said he has appreciated the opportunity to be around a rare individual like Hawk.
"The thing that strikes me about A.J., his heart is as big as his body," Beckman said. "He wants to prove that he is an outstanding player, and he keeps proving it, over and over again. He studies the game like no one else, and that's the way he plays it."
Hawk will exit in the national college spotlight as one of the featured competitors in the
Fiesta Bowl, then will wrap up his career later this month in the Senior Bowl. He is expected to be an early first-round pick in the NFL draft.
Mangold, who has had the best vantage point for observing Hawk from the peewee football ranks to this national stage, said he should have known Hawk was destined for greatness.
"The fans at Ohio State have seen that he is something special, something exceptional," he said. "I guess I should have known that a long time ago. It wasn't like he was benching 225 pounds when he was 6 years old or anything. But he probably could have if he wanted to."