Troy Polamalu (Christian Petersen/Getty Images).
Troy Polamalu is an NFL icon and role model. He is the perfect person to highlight for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Starting from humble beginnings, Polamalu used football as an avenue to succeed. He has used the platform the NFL has awarded to benefit others, and that’s something we have to put the spotlight on.
Paragraphs on Polamalu
Before we get into Troy Polamalu’s life, don’t forget to read the first Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month article of 2024 here. All of my A-1 articles are available here too!
One of my best articles is yet to come, so make sure to hang on and read on to the end. Troy’s story is worth it.
Early Life
Little Troy Aumua, the youngest of five, was born in 1981 to his mother, Siuila Polamalu. Daddy Polamalu dipped out just after the baby of the family was born, so Troy grew up without a father figure in Garden Grove, California. His family had immigrated from American Samoa in the mid-1970s.
Troy’s “role model” was his older brother Sakio, who was in and out of jail and dealing with his own life circumstances the best way he knew how. One thing he did with Troy was that he always played football with his little brother. The brothers would travel to other nearby neighborhoods to play football with other kids. Polamalu was often playing with much bigger children, which helped him learn speed and violence.
Football was a family trade mark. Sakio helped plant a love for the game that was running through their blood. Their uncle Aoatoa Polamalu was a nose tackle at Penn State; their uncle Kennedy Polamalu was a USC fullback and career coach; and their cousin Nick Sualua was a fullback at Ohio State. Sualua blocked Eddie George, a fellow Madden curse victim, which we will get into more later.
Troy was also getting into trouble, so his mother sent him to live with his uncle Kennedy’s family when he was just nine years old. Besides football, Polamalu also said he learned how to read people really well in Southern California. Moving to Oregon was a major culture shock for the young boy.
In Oregon, the future safety got to see families with both mothers and fathers in the home with their children. He also saw adults going to college and working. Troy got to experience having a room with a bed instead of the floor where he slept in Cali. Heaven help us.
Thankfully, Troy did mention that his older brother Sakio has turned his life around, which is wonderful to hear.
College
Troy attended USC from 1999 to 2002 on an athletic scholarship. The safety felt a spiritual calling to attend the university, believing it was God’s plan.
Polamalu finished his time with the Trojans with 278 tackles. It’s stats like that that won him accolades like being consensus All-American in 2002, first-team All-Pac-10 twice, and first-team All-American in 2001.
NFL
Polamalu was drafted 16th overall by the Steelers in the 2003 draft. He is one of the few former NFL players who only played for one franchise from 2003 to 2014.
He is also probably one of the few players who had his hair insured while in the NFL for one million dollars. A wise choice considering the Madden curse. But we’ll discuss that later. Head and Shoulders was footing the insurance bill that was offered by Lloyd’s of London. The Steeler’s safety had his hair targeted a few times by players. He chose to wear his hair long in honor of his Samoan roots.
The Steelers safety played 158 games over all 12 seasons. He had 783 tackles, intercepted 32 passes, had 107 passes defended, and forced 14 fumbles and recovered seven more.
In terms of accolades, Troy Polamalu has them all. He was an eight-time pro bowler, a two-time Super Bowl winner, was named the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and was a four-time first-team All-Pro player as well.
Most importantly, the safety is a survivor of the Madden Curse after appearing on Madden 10 with Larry Fitzgerald in 2009. Polamalu made it out of the curse with only some knee and ankle injuries that were lingering worryingly in 2009 and 2010. That’s really, really good, all things considered. Congrats Troy!
Family Matters
The former safety was born Troy Benjamin Aumua, but legally had his name changed to Troy Aumua Polamalu in 2007. Polamalu is his mother’s maiden name.
In 2005, Troy married his wife, Theodora Holmes (the sister of NFL player Alex Holmes). In 2007, they converted to Orthodox Christianity. The Polamalu’s hold their faith very dear to their hearts. They named both of their sons after saints in their faith: Paisios (2008) and Ephraim (2010).
Despite being one of the more violent players in his time, Troy has been described as a soft-spoken family man. We love to see it!
Life After Football
You can catch Polamalu at events giving back to former Pittsburgh Steelers, like the one he attended last May for the Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative.
The 43-year-old is also serious about continuing to build his income. He has been a long-time spokesperson for Head and Shoulders (at least since they insured his hair in 2010). He has been appearing in the company’s commercials with Patrick Mahomes since 2019.
Polamalu has also done some other minor commercial acting. He is also a business investor, and he even voiced a character in the Moana movie in 2016.
Troy Polamalu Enshrined in the Hall of Fame
As far as I can tell, before Troy Polamalu, the only other person of Pacific Islander decent to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame would be Junior Seau. Junior was a role model for Polamalu when he was growing up, which is such a beautiful thing. Representation matters.
In the modern NFL, we have far more Pacific Islander representation, like Tua Tagovailoa, Marcus Mariota, and Puka Nacua, so the Hall of Fame will probably look quite a bit different in 20 years. This much-needed change is thanks to trailblazers like Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu was enshrined in the HOF in 2021. Troy was nominated in his first year of eligibility! He chose to be presented by his former defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, who was his DC for the majority of his career. How sweet!
You can’t miss Troy Polamalu in the crowd of bronze busts because his long, flowing locks are part of his. It wouldn’t be right any other way!
Polamalu Gives Back
Troy Polamalu seems to understand just how important representation is. He showed this by reaching out to the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick, Troy Fautanu. The 2024 draft pick has loved the Steelers since he was a child, and Polamalu was his favorite player.
Fautanu looked up to Polamalu, as the Hall of Famer was a California native and Samoan too. The 2024 NFL first-round draft pick was elated when he found out his role model called him after the draft to congratulate him.
Polamalu was full of fond words for the new Pittsburgh Steeler and responded to being Fautanu’s role model when he was quoted as saying to WTAE, “Honestly, I’m very humbled by that; it’s really incredibly humbling.”
In addition to inspiring our youth, Troy also has a heart for everyone. Especially the community he spent so many years living in. The Polamalu’s now live in California, but they returned to Pittsburgh last month to prepare to host the 2024 Inaugural Resilience Bowl, a flag-football fundraiser for the Neighborhood Resilience Project.
If you are in the Pittsburgh area, it’s not too late to see the former safety play on May 21st at Acrisure Stadium! Recognize Ryan Clark and Bryan McFadden? The former Steelers will be there too. Along with celebrities like Kurt Angle and Steve Byrne.
