The feel-good story exploded onto the silver screen in 2009, winning over audiences and critics alike with a tale of love and triumph made all the more heartwarming by the fact that, by all accounts, it was based in truth. The Blind Side recounted how Michael Oher, a Black teenage football player in the Tennessee foster care system, had been taken in by a well-to-do white couple and their children, two starkly different worlds intertwining as they all became a happy family and young Michael sailed on to a career in college football.
The film won Sandra Bullock an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, Michael’s adoptive mother, and a nomination for Best Picture. In real life, Michael lined out for Ole Miss before playing eight seasons with the NFL, the Tuohys appearing at his side for the 2009 draft day selection.
