Hawk rises from nest to become best

The linebacker from Centerville was a finalist for the Lombardi, Butkus, Bednarik, Walter Camp and Lott awards.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Raising three boys made for such a testosterone-filled household that Keith Hawk might have been the only father in Centerville, Ohio, who knew where to get a couch repaired.
"Trying to repair them, it's like a wrecked car, it's not so good once it's wrecked," Hawk said. "We got a new couch more often than most people did. They lasted about three years, and then, we couldn't fix them anymore."
Keith and Judy Hawk didn't know whether their children Matt (now 27), Ryan (24) or A.J. (21) would become sports stars. They were just concerned with surviving their rough-and-tumble everyday life.
"We bought them boxing gloves and headgear to bring some sanity to the fights," Keith Hawk said. "We don't hug, we wrestle. Judy still screams when A.J. gets me down on the floor and pins me. I'm on my back, he's driving me into the ground and I'm saying, 'We're just hugging.'
"It was all male. To the uninitiated, it probably looked kinda wild."
Keith Hawk might give a "Don't try this at home" warning to parents who hope their son will become a two-time All-American like A.J., an Ohio State senior linebacker. Getting pinned by a 6-foot-1, 240-pound hulk like the Lombardi Award winner can't be good for a father's back.
Buckeyes' best?
Hawk does possess plenty of traits to admire: tough, smart, relentless, dedicated and competitive. Hawk might eventually be considered the best linebacker to play at Ohio State, surpassing Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau and Chris Spielman. Hawk will close out his career Monday against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
Some analysts have Hawk rated the No. 3 player in the NFL Draft in April behind Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart of Southern Cal.
"That part is surreal," Keith Hawk said. "I still think that's a little high. It's an unbelievable opportunity he's going to have, but I don't think he'll ever think the NFL will seem bigger than Ohio State."
In that kind of environment, Hawk has remained humble. Once considered a shoo-in for the Butkus Award given to the nation's best linebacker, he took it in stride when he lost out to Penn State junior Paul Posluszny.
"It made me realize toward the end it's almost a political campaign," A.J. Hawk said. "I'm not saying that's the reason I didn't win it, that's definitely not an excuse. I understand what goes into it."
Hawk visited Houston, Orlando, Fla., and Huntington Beach, Calif., in a span of five days earlier this month as a finalist for the Lombardi, Butkus, Bednarik, Walter Camp and Lott awards, and his biggest worry was missing bowl practice.
When he returned, he said the best part was the hospital visits.
Enjoys the reaction
"I appreciated seeing kids throughout the country," Hawk said. "Making an impact is what I enjoy.
"One of the first places I went was a juvenile center. One of the kids said he'd just gotten there, and he really wanted to turn his life around because he has seen what we can do. He said, 'I can try to follow you guys.' I was surprised, the kid was probably 12 years old and seemed pretty mature."
Ohio State senior center Nick Mangold, a Centerville native who attended Kettering Alter, has been Hawk's roommate for four years and is following him, too.
Asked his first impression of Hawk, Mangold said, "The psycho he is. I've never seen anybody work that hard at lifting. He's always up at 6 a.m. I'd heard stories but didn't think it was actually real.
"Now I see his personality and why he does that. It's his desire to be the best. That's one of the greatest things he's passed on to me."
Keith Hawk said his son got up at 5 a.m. to work out on the awards tour.
"He always says he feels bad and slovenly if he doesn't get in his lift," Keith Hawk said.
A.J. Hawk said his work ethic came from his brothers and the coaches at Centerville, Bob Gregg and Ron Ullery.
"I was the youngest, I was always looking to my brothers to see what I was supposed to do. I basically followed them my whole life," A.J. said.
Various influences
"My high school coaches influenced me the most. They molded me into what type of player I am and how I do things. I had a brother who is six years older go through the program. I saw how hard they worked him. My brother two years older than me, I watched him. Once I got there I had an idea of what they expected. I knew what it was like to work. I knew what you had to do if you wanted to win."
Ullery doesn't take credit for Hawk's work ethic. He figures some of it came from Ryan Hawk, a quarterback who transferred from Miami University to Ohio. He plans to play Arena Football in March.
"Ryan had that competitive fire; it probably helped them both," Ullery said. "Ryan was highly motivated and driven. He was also very humble and appreciative of people who helped him and A.J. is the same way."
Ullery said OSU recruiting coordinator John Peterson told him he pulled up at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center the Monday after the Michigan game, and Hawk was sitting in his car waiting for someone to unlock the door.
"They ought to just give him a key," Ullery said.
Mangold said Hawk is a stickler for cleanliness, insists on riding shotgun and is very quiet until you get to know him. If there's another Hawk trait you don't want to try at home, it's his penchant for avoiding banks.
The apartment Hawk shares with Mangold and another roommate was vandalized over the Thanksgiving break and part of the thieves' reward was Hawk's safe that contained $3,000. Keith Hawk told his son if he earned a college scholarship, he would pay for his food so A.J. could use his meal money for living expenses. His saving habits, though, are peculiar.
"He didn't put anything in the bank. He collected it," Mangold said. "It's like living with a person during the Depression. It was all in a safe. Before that, he had it hidden throughout his room. I guess his grandfather does that, that's where he got it from."
Also a possible NFL first-round draft pick, Mangold jokes that he's going to be Hawk's pool boy next year.
"Being the third pick he'll be able to afford a bigger pool house," Mangold said. "He may not spend a dime of any money he gets. He's going to have to find a lot of hiding places."