Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle Author: 01/19/2010
Subject Concerned: Airlines
AirTran Airways added Baltimore Ravens star offensive tackle Michael Oher as an endorser.
Oher, subject of the recent hit film The Blind Side, joins other sports stars at AirTran, including Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk and former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine.
Oher will be featured in advertising in the Baltimore area.
"I am so happy to join the AirTran Airways team," Oher said in a statement. "They have been great partners with the Ravens and my teammate Todd Heap and they're also very involved in the communities they serve. I look forward to a long and successful partnership with them."
The 310-pound Oher was a first round draft choice of the Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing college football at the University of Mississippi. His life inspired the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game and movie of the same name starring Sandra Bullock. Oher was second in voting this season for the Associated Press' NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
"Michael Oher - a star on and off the field - is a true inspiration that we're happy to have onboard the AirTran Airways team," said Tad Hutcheson, vice president of marketing and sales for AirTran Airways, in a statement.
AirTran, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc., has its main hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.