Why A.J. Hawk is one of Dayton’s most unique athletes ever

Hawk, 33, who has a keen interest in aviation and has trained to become a pilot, will put on a flight suit this afternoon and strap into the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon to promote the Vectren Dayton Air Show.

It won’t be Hawk’s first time up with an elite aerobatic team. In 2014, he flew with the Navy’s Blue Angels.

“I was dying,” Hawk told ESPNWisconsin.com at the time.

Hawk said he used an airsickness bag “two-plus” times during the 50-minute flight.

Here are some other things that make Hawk unique: 

Early glory, including a national title: Hawk, who was born in Kettering, played high school football at Centerville before becoming a two-time All-American at Ohio State, where he was part of the 2002 national championship team and won two Big Ten titles.

Top pick, Super Bowl ring: Hawk was a first-round draft pick by the Green Bay in 2006. He became the franchise's all-time leading tackler and was on the Packers' 2011 Super Bowl championship team.

Peace with retirement: He spent the 2015 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, played one 2016 game with the Atlanta Falcons and announced his retirement from professional football earlier this year.

Podcaster: Hawk hosts a podcast called The HawkCast, now with more than 100 episodes, including interviews with the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden and legendary NBC sports broadcaster Bob Costas. He also said he would like to spend more time in the broadcast booth calling games in the future.

Wedding officiant: Hawk was certified to officiate weddings through an online ministry. He was the officiant at a wedding for a former Packers teammate and wed former Ohio State teammate Rory Nicol and the former Amy Halpin, an aide to Head Football Coach Urban Meyer, according to ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus.

"As I started doing the research you realize you can't mess this up," Hawk told the station.