Hall of Fame Inductees
- Induction:
- 2019
Football 2002-05
Two-time All-American AJ Hawk is one of the great football players and linebackers in school history. A four-year letterman, Hawk ended his standout career as the fifth-leading tackler in school history with 394 total tackles, including a nearly 20-year high 141 tackles during a consensus All-America junior season in 2004. Hawk’s statistics also position him 11th in school history with 41 tackles-for-loss and 17th with 15 quarterback sacks. He was a three-time All-Big Ten performer.
Hawk capped his career by being named the Lombardi Award winner as a senior in 2005 and a unanimous All-American after leading the Buckeyes in tackles for a third consecutive season with 121, including 16.5 tackles-for-loss. He was also named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year and he was the Defensive MVP in the Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame.
A team co-captain in 2005, Hawk played in all 14 games during Ohio State’s 2002 national championship season and in 51 games altogether. He was on Big Ten championship teams in 2002 and 2005 and his Buckeye teams were 4-0 in bowl games and 3-1 vs. Michigan.
Hawk, from Centerville, Ohio, was a first-round NFL Draft pick, No. 5 overall, of the Green Bay Packers. He played nine years with the organization and led the team in tackles five times. Including 16 games in 2015 with Cincinnati, Hawk played in 158 NFL games and recorded 947 tackles.
