The Blind Side

by

Michael Lewis

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Blind Side makes teaching easy.

The Blind Side Characters

Michael Oher

Michael Oher is the protagonist of The Blind Side, and a real-life NFL star, who’s played offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, the Tennessee Titans, and the Carolina Panthers. Growing up in inner-city Memphis… read analysis of Michael Oher

Leigh Anne Tuohy

Leigh Anne Tuohy is the matriarch of the Tuohy family, the wife of Sean Tuohy, a devout Christian, and the person most responsible for helping Michael Oher achieve success. It is Leigh Anne who… read analysis of Leigh Anne Tuohy

Sean Tuohy

Sean Tuohy is a coach at Briarcrest at the time when Michael Oher enrolls there. A self-made millionaire (he owns a chain of Taco Bells), Tuohy was born into a poor family and gradually worked… read analysis of Sean Tuohy

Denise Oher

The mother of Michael Oher, Denise is largely a peripheral presence in The Blind Side, and in Michael Oher’s own life. Denise lives in an impoverished part of Memphis, Tennessee, and for most… read analysis of Denise Oher
Minor Characters
Tony Henderson / Big Tony
An inner-city Memphis man who takes care of Michael Oher while Michael is a young teenager, and later helps Michael enroll in Briarcrest Christian Academy.
Sean Tuohy Junior
The youngest child of the Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, with whom Michael Oher forms a close brotherly bond after the Tuohys adopt him.
Collins Tuohy
The teenaged daughter of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.
Bill Walsh
Highly respected NFL coach, whose time with the San Francisco 49ers was perhaps the most notable in team history. Walsh is credited with introducing a new, tactical strategy to the game of football, one that emphasized throwing the ball instead of running with it.
Antonio Turner
Teammate of Michael Oher at the University of Mississippi, who goads Michael into a fight by disrespecting Leigh Anne and Collins Tuohy.
Zachary Bright
An inner-city Memphis man who befriends the much younger Michael Oher, Zachary Bright turned down a great football scholarship, largely because his friends and family told him that college wasn’t worth it.
Steve Simpson
The principal of Briarcrest at the time when Michael Oher is trying to enroll there, Steve Simpson is initially reluctant to admit Michael, since his grades are dismal, but eventually he agrees to let Michael into Briarcrest.
Hugh Freeze
Head football coach for Briarcrest, who favors intelligent, tactical players over “brute force,” but eventually comes to recognize Michael Oher’s formidable talent.
Tim Long
Assistant coach for the Briarcrest football team, and a former NFL player, Tim Long immediately recognizes Michael Oher’s talent, and is instrumental in convincing the more tactically-minded Hugh Freeze to play Michael more often.
Steven Henderson
Teenaged son of Big Tony, who excels in school, and is admitted to Briarcrest Christian Academy on scholarship.
Sue Mitchell
Tutor and University of Mississippi alumna hired by the Tuohy family to help Michael Oher bring up his grades in order to qualify for sports scholarships.
Ed Orgeron
The flamboyant, highly energetic head coach for the University of Mississippi following the firing of David Cutcliffe.
Nick Saban
The charming, highly polished coach for the LSU football team, who takes a job with the Miami Dolphins around the time that Michael Oher is deciding on a college.
Joyce Thompson
NCAA employee hired to investigate the possibility that the Tuohy family has adopted Michael Oher in order to manipulate him into playing football for their alma mater, the University of Mississippi.
Tom Lemming
Popular football scout who traveled the country searching for NFL prospects still in high school, and whose newsletter was once required reading for football coaches and other NFL insiders.
Joe Theismann
Legendary quarterback for the Washington Redskins, whose career-ending injury in 1985 was partly responsible for a widespread rethinking of the game of football and a renewed emphasis on defense and the left tackle position.
Lawrence Taylor
Legendary offensive player for the New York Giants in the 1980s, whose sack essentially ended the career of Joe Theismann, and prompted a rethinking of football defense.
Kenny Anderson
Quarterback for the Bengals in the 1970s.
Dan Audick
Left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers during Bill Walsh’s time as a coach.
John Ayers
Left guard for the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Boggess
Track coach for Briarcrest.
Harry Carson
Player for the New York Giants in the 1980s.
Virgil Carter
Quarterback for the Bengals who, under Bill Walsh’s tutelage, led the league in completion percentage.
Roger Craig
Runningback for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s.
David Cutcliffe
Head coach of the University of Mississippi, fired from his job around the time that Michael Oher is trying to decide which college to attend.
Steve Deberg
Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who, under the leadership of Bill Walsh, became one of the best players in NFL history.
George DeLeone
Assistant coach for the University of Mississippi football team, who believes that Michael Oher shouldn’t play too often during his freshman year.
Chris Doleman
Pass rusher for the Minnesota Vikings.
Steve Farese
Attorney and friend of Sean Tuohy.
Dwight Freeney
The best pass rusher in the NFL, whom Michael Oher claims he could “take” in a game.
Phil Fulmer
Head coach for the University of Tennessee.
Jennifer Graves
The special needs teacher at Briarcrest.
Russ Grimm
Lineman for the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.
Greg Hardy
Defensive end for the Briarcrest football team.
John Harrington
Basketball coach for Briarcrest.
Ted Hendricks
Pass rusher for the Raiders in the 1970s.
Joe Jacoby
Left tackle for the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.
Peria Jerry
Football player for the University of Mississippi, and one of Michael Oher’s closest friends in college.
Velma Jones
An unkind woman who briefly adopts Michael Oher after he’s taken away from Denise Oher.
James Meredith
First African-American admitted to the University of Mississippi.
Joe Montana
Legendary quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, often said to be the best in NFL history.
Bobby Nix
One of the athletic tutors at the University of Mississippi, whose three-year-old child is injured when Michael Oher fights with Antonio Turner.
Clarke Norton
High school football player, and a family friend of the Tuohys.
John Ogden
Talented, highly paid left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.
Robert Oher
Brother of Denise Oher, uncle of Michael Oher.
Bill Parcells
Head coach of the New York Giants, who favored a traditionalist, “brawny” approach to the game of football.
Bubba Paris
Overweight lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, who Bill Walsh eventually replaced with Steve Wallace.
Patrick Ramsey
A friend of Leigh Anne Tuohy who plays for the Washington Redskins.
John Riggins
Runningback for the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.
Stacey Searles
Head coach of the LSU football team.
Ron Singleton
Left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers during Bill Walsh’s time as a coach, who Walsh dismissed from the team after Singleton demanded too much money.
Justin Sparks
Talented Briarcrest football player, and a friend of Michael Oher.
Quentin Taylor
One of Michael Oher’s teammates at the University of Mississippi.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Victorian poet who wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” one of the few works of literature that Michael Oher seems to enjoy.
Arthur Sallis
Inner-city football player who’s murdered shortly after he fails to make the grades to attend college on a football scholarship, inspiring Leigh Anne Tuohy to create a foundation for impoverished athletes who lack the academic talents to attend college.
Steve Wallace
Lineman for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s.
Don Warren
Tight end for the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.
Michael Jerome Williams
Father of Michael Oher.
Craig Vail
A friend of Michael Oher’s from when Michael was living with Denise Oher in Hurt Village.