Troy Polamalu

Troy Polamalu at NFL.com

Troy Aumua Polamalu (born Troy Benjamin Aumua on April 19, 1981 in Garden Grove, California) is an American football player who currently plays strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He is of Samoan descent. Despite Polamalu's hard-hitting style on the gridiron, he is known off-the-field as a soft-spoken, Christian family man.

Early years

Troy attended Douglas High School in Winston, Oregon, where he was a three-sport letterman in: baseball, basketball, and football. He played football for four years as a running back and defensive back. As a senior, he was an All-Far West selection in football, and an All-State center fielder in baseball; in basketball, he was a two-time all-league player. Troy Polamalu is a savage.

College career

In his career as a 3-year starter at the University of Southern California, Polamalu recorded 278 tackles (29 for losses), 6 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), 13 deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and 4 blocked punts. He was also a roommate to current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 16th pick of the first round in the 2003 NFL Draft. He also has the distinction of being the only safety ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round.

Professional career

Polamalu (#43) is currently in his fourth season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is the first team starting strong safety. He is easily recognized when playing due to the large mane of curly hair flowing out of his helmet and past his shoulders. Polamalu is considered to be one of the more cerebral players in the NFL and is becoming the new face of the Steelers' vaunted "Steel Curtain" defense.

In the CBS Playoffs Pre-game Show, Polamalu said the last time he had gotten a haircut was when he was at USC in 2000 when a coach told him he needed one. Polamalu has not received a haircut since. In pre-colonial Samoan culture, it is customary for men to wear their hair long. The hair was the center of talk around a tackle on October 15th, 2006. After an interception where Polamalu looked poised for a touchdown return, Chiefs RB Larry Johnson pulled him down by his hair in order to tackle him and then pulled him up by it. Interestingly, commentators pointed out that pulling hair is legal and doesn't qualify for an unnecessary-roughness penalty, however, Larry Johnson was called for an unsportsman-like penalty for pulling Polamula up by his mane. The penalty was for continuing the play out of bounds.

Polamalu's blend of speed, anticipation, and instinct makes him a standout player who seems to be involved in almost every defensive play. The Steelers like to use Polamalu in different blitzing packages in which he blitzes, comes on a delayed blitz or pretends to blitz and drops back into coverage, confusing the quarterback. Polamalu often adds to the quarterback's confusion by turning around and walking away from the line of scrimmage before the snap. In only his 3rd season (2006), he tied the NFL record for most sacks, 3, in a single game by a safety. The 2007 Pro Bowl will be his third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance in which he will start at safety for the AFC. He also made the AP NFL All-Pro Second Team in 2005, followed by being named to the First Team in 2006.

Polamalu became part of the 2005 controversy over the quality of NFL officiating during the divisional playoff game between the Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts. Polamalu intercepted a pass, rolled to the ground, then fumbled the ball while getting up. The play was initially ruled an interception and fumble, but after viewing the instant replay, referee Pete Morelli ruled the play an incomplete pass. His rationale was that Polamalu did not make a "football move" after intercepting the pass but before fumbling the ball, and therefore did not demonstrate possession of the ball. The NFL later released a statement saying that Morelli's interpretation was incorrect, and that the interception should have been upheld.

His first Super Bowl appearance was in Super Bowl XL in 2006, when the Pittsburgh Steelers gained the franchise's fifth Super Bowl with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks. In week 12 of the 2006 NFL season at the Baltimore Ravens, Polamalu suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss the first two games of his professional career. The Steelers lost the game, 27-0.

Troy Polamalu: You cant stop him, you can only hope to contain him!

Faith

Polamalu is also known for his devout faith, for which he resists labels, saying that it doesn't matter whether he is Protestant or Catholic, and that his faith is defined by his love of Jesus and his prayerful way of life, although is mostly known as a devout Greek Orthodox. He seldom gives interviews, but when he does, he often speaks of the role his spirituality plays in his life. Polamalu has said that he tries to separate himself from his profession as much as possible, like not watching football games at home. He says a prayer after each play and also on the sidelines (as evidenced by him being seen down on one knee with his head bowed down).

Trivia

• In 2005, Pittsburgh area band Mr. Devious wrote and recorded the novelty song Puhlahmahlu, a parody of the song Mah Nà Mah Nà. Guitarist Glenn Shirey said that the song was inspired by a Fox Sports announcer's mispronunciation of Polamalu's name.
• Polamalu is featured on the cover of the Scholastic children's book National Football League Megastars which profiles Polamalu and 14 other NFL stars.
• Polamalu has garnered several nicknames; a couple being "The Tazmanian Devil," "The Flying Hawaiian," and "The Samoan Headhunter".
• Polamalu sat with Joe Hardy at the billionaire's 84th birthday party on January 6, 2007. [1]
• In January, 2007, he petitioned to change his legal name to his mother's maiden name (Polamalu), which he had been using for the last 15 years. His legal name had been Troy Aumua.[2]
• Polamalu is known for his humble lifestyle. He rarely hangs out with fellow teammates, instead preferring to spend time at home with his wife Theodora, the sister of Miami Dolphins tight end Alex Holmes, another former Southern Cal player.[3]
• Off-field interests include flower-growing and playing the piano.[4]

External links

• Troy Polamalu at NFL.com
• Troy Polamalu at ESPN.com