95 Facts About Troy Polamalu

1.

Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.

2.

Troy Polamalu was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft.

3.

Troy Polamalu was a member of two Steelers' Super Bowl championship teams and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.

4.

Troy Polamalu was the Head of Player Relations of the Alliance of American Football.

5.

Troy Polamalu's father left the family soon after Polamalu was born.

6.

At age eight, Troy Polamalu vacationed in Tenmile, Oregon with his aunt and uncle for three weeks; afterwards, he begged his mother to let him live in Oregon.

7.

Concerned about the negative influences in nearby Los Angeles, Troy Polamalu's mother sent him to Oregon to live with his uncle, aunt, and cousins when he was nine years old.

8.

Troy Polamalu described his uncle, Salu Troy Polamalu, as a disciplinarian who kept him straight.

9.

Troy Polamalu rushed for 1,040 yards with 22 touchdowns and had 310 receiving yards.

10.

Troy Polamalu played high school baseball and basketball, where he received all-state and all-league honors.

11.

Troy Polamalu received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Southern California, and played for the Trojans from 1999 to 2002.

12.

Troy Polamalu began his college career in 1999 as a true freshman, playing backup at safety and linebacker, while contributing on special teams.

13.

Troy Polamalu opened his season starting against Penn State, and recorded only two tackles but made an interception for a 43-yard touchdown.

14.

Troy Polamalu set a career-high with 14 tackles against Arizona State and tied that mark against Notre Dame.

15.

Troy Polamalu started the season by being voted as the team captain, and in the season opener he recorded seven tackles and one tackle for a loss against San Jose State.

16.

Troy Polamalu continued his dominance against Stanford, making a game-high 10 stops, one tackle for a loss, and his first blocked punt of the season.

17.

Troy Polamalu had a streak of six games in a row and eight total in the season where he led both teams in tackles.

18.

Troy Polamalu's streak ended against California, when he had four tackles, but made a game-deciding play with an interception that he returned for a 58-yard touchdown.

19.

Troy Polamalu had two tackles but made key plays when he blocked a punt and made an interception that set up key field goals for USC.

20.

Troy Polamalu won his first PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Week.

21.

USC went on to the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah and Troy Polamalu made a career-high 20 tackles, and three tackles for a loss.

22.

Troy Polamalu finished his junior campaign with a team-high 118 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, one sack, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three blocked punts, and two touchdowns.

23.

Troy Polamalu won USC's MVP award and was voted a first-team All-American by Football Writers and College and Pro Football News Weekly.

24.

Troy Polamalu then disrupted Stanford for the third year in a row, accumulating a season-high 13 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one sack.

25.

Troy Polamalu finished his senior season with 68 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, three sacks, one interception, and three forced fumbles.

26.

Troy Polamalu was voted a first team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Writers, ESPN.

27.

Troy Polamalu finished his college career with 278 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, four blocked punts, and three touchdowns.

28.

On March 12,2003, Troy Polamalu participated at USC's pro day, along with Carson Palmer, Justin Fargas, Kareem Kelly, Sultan McCullough, Malaefou MacKenzie, and others.

29.

Troy Polamalu performed the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and 40-yard dash for NFL team representatives and scouts.

30.

Troy Polamalu was projected to be a late-first or early-second-round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts.

31.

Troy Polamalu was ranked the top strong safety prospect by BLESTO and National Scouting Combines.

32.

The Steelers believed so much that Troy Polamalu could have a positive impact on their defense that they traded up from the 27th spot to the 16th spot, originally held by the Chiefs.

33.

Troy Polamalu has the distinction of being one of only two safeties ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round of an NFL Draft; the other being Terrell Edmunds in 2018.

34.

On July 29,2003, Troy Polamalu arrived at training camp after missing the start of it due to a hamstring injury and competed with veteran Mike Logan in training camp for the vacant starting strong safety job left by Lee Flowers.

35.

Troy Polamalu finished his rookie season in 2003 with a total of 38 combined tackles and four passes defensed in 16 games and zero starts.

36.

Head coach Bill Cowher named Troy Polamalu the starting strong safety over Mike Logan to start the 2004 season and made his first career start in the Steelers' season-opener against the Oakland Raiders.

37.

Troy Polamalu was named to the 2005 Pro Bowl for the first time.

38.

Troy Polamalu returned as the starting strong safety in 2005 and started the Steelers' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans.

39.

Troy Polamalu set the NFL record for the most sacks by a safety in a single game.

40.

Troy Polamalu finished the 2005 season with 91 combined tackles, six pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.

41.

Troy Polamalu earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Chiefs.

42.

Troy Polamalu finished the 2006 season with 76 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, and three interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts.

43.

Troy Polamalu was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and started the 2007 Pro Bowl at strong safety.

44.

Troy Polamalu remained the starting strong safety under new head coach Mike Tomlin.

45.

Troy Polamalu was unable to play in a Week 5 contest against the Seattle Seahawks with an abdominal injury.

46.

Troy Polamalu finished the 2007 season with 58 combined tackles and nine pass deflections in 12 games and 11 starts.

47.

Troy Polamalu was named a reserve to the 2008 Pro Bowl despite having no interceptions and only playing in 11 games during the 2007 season.

48.

Troy Polamalu suffered a hamstring injury during his off-season workout and missed the entire 2008 training camp.

49.

Troy Polamalu earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Browns.

50.

Troy Polamalu finished the season with 73 combined tackles, a career-high 17 pass deflections, and a career-high seven interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.

51.

Troy Polamalu was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl as the AFC's strong safety after being given a unanimous vote by five experts.

52.

Troy Polamalu sustained a sprained MCL injury to his left knee and missed the next four games.

53.

Troy Polamalu was named to the Second Team Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

54.

In Week 14, Troy Polamalu collected two solo tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by Carson Palmer that was intended for Terrell Owens and returned it for a 45-yard touchdown.

55.

Troy Polamalu earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Bengals.

56.

Troy Polamalu was sidelined the next two games by the ankle injury.

57.

Troy Polamalu finished the 2010 season with 63 combined tackles, 11 pass deflections, seven interceptions, one sack, and one touchdown in 14 games and 14 starts.

58.

Troy Polamalu received a bid to the 2011 Pro Bowl, marking the sixth of his career.

59.

Troy Polamalu earned First Team All-Pro honors for the third time.

60.

Troy Polamalu was ranked sixth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

61.

On January 31,2011, Troy Polamalu was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year after receiving 17 votes, beating out for the award fellow USC Trojan and Packers' linebacker Clay Matthews, who received 15 votes.

62.

Troy Polamalu won the NFL Alumni Player of the Year award.

63.

Troy Polamalu won the award over Defensive Back of the Year by Aqib Talib of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

64.

Troy Polamalu was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns.

65.

Troy Polamalu finished the season with 91 combined tackles, 14 pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and 16 starts.

66.

Troy Polamalu was named as a First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl.

67.

Troy Polamalu suffered a strain calf in a practice prior to the Steelers' season-opener against the Denver Broncos.

68.

Troy Polamalu further aggravated the injury during the game and left after further straining his calf muscle.

69.

Troy Polamalu limped off the field in the second quarter and was unable to return.

70.

Troy Polamalu missed the next six games, but remained on the active roster.

71.

Troy Polamalu finished the 2012 season with a total of 34 combined tackles, three pass deflections, one sack, and one interception in seven games and seven starts.

72.

Troy Polamalu was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

73.

One of the Steelers' top needs entering the draft was safety as Troy Polamalu was entering the end of his career and had an injury-riddled season in 2012.

74.

In Week 12, Troy Polamalu earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Cleveland Browns.

75.

Troy Polamalu finished the season with 69 combined tackles, 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts.

76.

Troy Polamalu was ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

77.

In February 2015, Troy Polamalu was approached and told by front office members and owner Dan Rooney that if he did not retire, he would be released.

78.

Troy Polamalu finished his 12-year career with 770 tackles, 32 interceptions, and three touchdowns.

79.

On January 2,2020, Troy Polamalu was named one of 15 modern-era finalists for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

80.

On February 1,2020, Troy Polamalu was officially elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

81.

Troy Polamalu petitioned in 2007 to change his legal surname to his mother's maiden name of Polamalu.

82.

Troy Polamalu had already been using Polamalu for the previous 15 years.

83.

In 2009, Troy Polamalu said that he tried to separate himself from his profession as much as possible and did not watch football games at home.

84.

Troy Polamalu was the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach for five years, and served as offensive coordinator for UCLA.

85.

Troy Polamalu is married to Theodora Holmes and has two sons.

86.

Troy Polamalu is well read in the history and theology of early Christianity, which ultimately led both him and his wife to convert to Orthodox Christianity in 2007.

87.

Troy Polamalu made the Sign of the Cross after every play.

88.

Troy Polamalu seldom gives interviews, but when he does, he often speaks of the role his spirituality plays in his life.

89.

Troy Polamalu's sons are both named after Orthodox Christian saints: Saint Paisios the Great of Egypt and Saint Ephraim the Syrian.

90.

Troy Polamalu's hair is one of his most distinguishing characteristics, allowing him to be easily spotted on the field.

91.

On November 9,2010, while appearing on Mike and Mike in the Morning, Troy Polamalu said he had his most recent haircut seven or eight years prior.

92.

Troy Polamalu is an investor in Arenda Capital, which is called a multi-family office that pulls together the funds of four families and manages their spending and investments.

93.

Troy Polamalu is active in the Pittsburgh community, visiting sick kids at the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, and is the most highly requested Steeler from the Make-A-Wish foundation.

94.

Troy Polamalu is featured on the cover of the Scholastic children's book National Football League Megastars which profiles Troy Polamalu and 14 other NFL stars.

95.

Troy Polamalu was on the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Larry Fitzgerald and is supposedly a sufferer of the "Madden Curse".