A.J. Hawk

NFL

During his four-year career at Ohio State, A.J. Hawk made a name for himself as one of the best defensive players in school history. A two-time All-America, he was the Buckeyes’ fifth all-time leading tackler when he left Columbus. As a senior co-captain in 2005, he was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and won the Lombardi Award as the top lineman in college football. As a freshman in 2002, he played in all 14 games during Ohio State’s run to the national championship. The Buckeyes won two conference titles during his career. He was elected to the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. The Green Bay Packers selected Hawk with the fifth pick in the 2006 NFL draft. A member of the league’s All-Rookie team, he started 136 of the 142 games he played in nine seasons with the Packers. In 2010, Green Bay had the No. 2 defense in the NFL — Hawk intercepted a career-high three passes — and the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25. He played two more seasons in the NFL after he left the Packers in 2015, suiting up for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He announced his retirement on April 18, 2017. A native of the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Centreville, Hawk grew up dreaming of playing for Ohio State. He made the varsity team at Centreville High as a freshman and was twice named All-State.