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punt 8 yards for a TD, vs. No. 25 Northwestern (Nov. 12)…
Notoriously big in big games, closed his collegiate career
helping OSU to 34-20 win over No. 6 Notre Dame in Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2); had 12 tackles (nine solo), 3½
stops for loss and a pair of sacks – both times dropping
Brady Quinn, his future brother in-law…Junior season
(2004): Entered as media’s preseason Big Ten Defensive
Player of the Year…Started all 12 contests, collecting a collegiate-high
141 tackles (62 solo),
en route to consensus All-America
honors (The Sporting News, The
Associated Press, Walter Camp,
Football Writers)…Also totaled
eight tackles for loss, one sack,
five passes broken up and a pair of
interceptions, while recovering one
fumble and forcing another…In
nine games, led the team in tackles,
and had at least nine tackles in
all 11 regular-season contests…
Notched an astonishing 49 tackles
over a three-game stretch, with 14
stops (four solo) at Northwestern
(Oct. 2), a career-best 20 tackles
(eight solo) – becoming the first
OSU player since Chris Spielman
in 1986 to reach that single-game
mark – vs. No. 15 Wisconsin (Oct.
9), and 15 stops (eight solo) at
Iowa (Oct. 16)…His acrobatic
interception at Michigan State
(Nov. 6) halted the Spartans’ final
drive with OSU clinging to a 25-19
lead in eventual 32-19 triumph…
Sophomore season (2003):
Emerged as defensive pillar for defending national champions,
leading team with 106 tackles (52 solo), earning firstteam
All-Big Ten honors in his initial season as a starter…
Started all 13 games, finishing with 13 tackles for loss, four
sacks, five passes broken up and two interceptions…In
44-38 triumph vs. No. 24 North Carolina State (Sept. 13),
returned an interception 55 yards to set up a field goal and
posted 12 tackles (six solo), including two for loss; was
in on the game-ending tackle at the Wolfpack goal line,
sealing the Buckeyes’ triple-overtime win…Influential in
35-28 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 8 Kansas State
(Jan. 1), captured defensive MVP honors with 10 tackles
(six solo) and 1½ stops for loss…Freshman season
(2002): Saw consistent playing time as key reserve in Ohio
State’s road to 14-0, national championship season…Backing
up weak-side linebacker Cie Grant, notched 26 stops
(13 solo), 3½ tackles for loss, an assisted sack and two interceptions,
one of which he returned 34 yards for a touchdown
vs. Kent State (Sept. 7)…In his first career start, a
13-7 win vs. No. 18 Penn State (Oct. 26), his interception
ended the Lions’ initial possession…Combined on his first
career sack vs. Wisconsin (Oct. 19) and picked up one tackle
for loss in a thrilling, 14-9 win
vs. Michigan (Nov. 23), clinching
an invitation to the Tostitos Fiesta
Bowl national championship vs.
Miami, Fla. (Jan. 3).
personal
VETERANS
Given name
Aaron James
Hawk…Nicknamed ‘A.J.’ by his
parents since birth, after legendary
Indy car driver A.J. Foyt…Born in
Kettering, Ohio…Married the former
Laura Quinn, whose brother
Brady was Notre Dame’s quarterback
and a 2007 first-round pick
by the Cleveland Browns…The
couple wed prior to his first NFL
training camp in a civil ceremony,
then had a more traditional wedding
ceremony in March 2007…
Brother, Ryan, played quarterback
for the Birmingham Steeldogs of
Arena Football ‘2’ and played in
college at Ohio University…High
school: Lettered four years at
Centerville (Ohio) High School,
playing middle linebacker, running
back and quarterback…Also handled punting chores
for two seasons, and served as place-kicker as a senior…
Rated as the nation’s No. 30 middle linebacker by Rivals.
com, finished with 585 career tackles, including 142 as a
freshman starter…Averaged better than 40 yards per punt
as a senior…Didn’t attract great national attention mostly
due to a knee injury that sidelined him much of his final
season, limiting him to only 82 tackles…Also earned a
pair of letters (as a freshman and sophomore) playing
point guard on the Centerville basketball team…Community
involvement: Was chosen by local McKinley
Elementary student for ‘Take a Player to School’ day and
spoke to students about health and fitness…Also visited
with local elementary students the past two years as their
reward for participating in the Packers’ Women’s Association
food drive…Has supported the Jerry Parins Cruise for
Cancer, the Donald Driver Foundation, the Greg Jennings
Foundation, the Al Harris Outreach Program and The 2nd &
7 Foundation, which is the charity of Chiefs linebacker and
fellow OSU alum Mike Vrabel…Joined the Buckeye Cruise
ADMIN. &
DRAFT &
COMMUNITY COACHES HAWK FREE AGENTS
2008 REVIEW HISTORY
RECORDS &
Paul Hornung (center),
Green Bay’s ‘Bonus Choice’ in the 1957 draft
LAMBEAU
FIELD
First overall NFL draft picks to play for Packers
Player Played for Packers Obtained by Packers Drafted by College Year
Bobby Garrett, QB 1954 ..............Six-player trade ..............Cleveland Browns ....Stanford ....... 1954
Paul Hornung, HB 1957-62, 64-66. .....Bonus choice, ’57 draft ........Green Bay ..........Notre Dame. ....1957
Russell Maryland, DT 2000 ..............Unrestricted free agent. ........Dallas .............Miami (Fla.) .... 1991
MISC.
NOTE: Jack Concannon (1964, Boston) and Jim Grabowski (1966, Miami) were taken first overall in AFL drafts, but opted
to sign with the NFL teams that drafted them…From 1947-58, the first pick was a Bonus Choice, awarded to the winner
of a random draw. That club, in turn, forfeited its last-round draft choice and was eliminated from future draws. The Packers
were next-to-last to get the Bonus; it was abolished after 1958, when the last club had received one Bonus pick.
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