Tuberville was one of six college football coaches who appeared in the box office hit in 2009.
The film has reentered the spotlight due to Michael Oher, the ex-National Football League (NFL) player about whom the film is based, recently filing a legal petition claiming that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy—whose family is depicted in the film—never adopted him and tricked him into conservatorship. He has accused them of profiting from his situation and career.
The surprise box office smash based on the 2006 novel of the same name followed Oher’s journey from poverty to star athlete at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), and later a longtime NFL starter and Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens.
It grossed approximately $256 million domestically and $309 million worldwide, garnering a Best Picture Academy Award nomination. It also secured actress Sandra Bullock’s first Oscar for Best Actress in 2010, in addition to Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards that same year.
Tuberville, who at the time of his film appearance was Auburn University’s head football coach, has represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate since his 2020 election victory.
He was one of five college football coaches to appear, joined by Nick Saban, then at Louisiana State University (LSU) and currently at the University of Alabama; Phillip Fulmer, formerly of the University of Tennessee; Ed Orgeron, then at Ole Miss; Houston Nutt, then at the University of Arkansas; and Lou Holtz, then at the University of South Carolina.
“Fred Smith, who owns FedEx, bought the movie for his daughter [Molly Smith],” Tuberville said. “She’s a producer, has her own company. He called and said, ‘Coach, we want all the original guys in there to make it better.
