A. J. Hawk at NFL.com Aaron James Hawk (born January 6, 1984 in Centerville, Ohio) is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. A two-time All-American in college, he played for The Ohio State University. he is 6'1" and 240 pounds (1.85 m, 109 kg), ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds, ran the shuttle in 3.96 seconds, and has a 40 inch (102 cm) vertical leap.
Hawk was injured for most of his senior year at his high school, Centerville. Despite this, he still finished the season with 82 tackles.
At Ohio State, he led his team against Kansas State and Notre Dame in the 2004 and 2006 Fiesta Bowls, respectively; winning the Defensive MVP award in both contests. Gil Brandt of NFL.com said, "but if you were just looking at the prospects this year in a pure football sense and just saying who is the best player in this draft, it would be A.J. Hawk. He is amazing." In 2005, he won the Lombardi Award.
Leading up to the draft, A.J., along with fellow prospects Vernon Davis and Jeremy Bloom, appeared in ads for Under Armour's new line of football cleats, with the slogan Click Clack (I think they hear us coming).
NFL career
On April 29, 2006 Hawk was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the 5th overall pick.
Trivia
During the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the commentators made mention of Hawk's relationship with the sister (Laura Quinn) of opposing quarterback Brady Quinn twice (along with a shot of her that showed her to be wearing a jersey that was split in half to be half Notre Dame, half Ohio State). The two are now married. [1]
References
- Tim May, OSU’s Hawk takes talk in stride, The Columbus Dispatch, April 26, 2006.