Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamaluis a former American football strong safety who played his entire twelve-year career for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Southern California, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was a member of two of the Steelers' Super Bowl championship teams, and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth19 April 1981
CityGarden Grove, CA
CountryUnited States of America
We're very different football players. We play different positions. The defense calls us to do different things as well.
It's a shame that Coach LeBeau is not in the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame, the way he revolutionized football with the zone blitz.
The best thing about football for me is the reacting. It's a lot of instincts. But training, for me, it's more for the meditating. And I spend more time training than actually playing football. So I get into that zone during training more than anything.
When people say that you kind of just get - you know, just feel like a little buzzed or dazed or had your bell rung - they consider that a concussion. I wouldn't. But if that is considered a concussion, I would say any football player at least records 50 to 100 in the course of a year.
There's a lot of Samoans in pro football because it's closely related to a family atmosphere.
I try to take what's given to me and then mold it to be a better football player.
I think it's important to cross train. Surfing is a good cross training sport for your shoulders. I don't think I know of any other football player who does it, who can go and paddle out past the sets.
I am a National Football League player of American Samoan heritage. Because of my status as a professional athlete, I have been blessed to play a role in educating players and fans about the culture and history of America's southernmost territory.
The greatest thing for me football-wise is that it's a test of will.
I take pride in my life-my wife, my family. I try my best not to have football define the person that I am.
America needs football. It's a real blue-collar sport; it's played with a blue-collar mentality, a mentality that's the backbone of this country.
I don't look at football as a violent, barbaric sport. It's a very spiritual sport, especially for someone facing the challenges during a game: the fear of failure, the fear of getting too big an ego, of making a mistake and everybody criticizing you.
In football, you're taught to react by being aggressive, taught to react with violence. If you can't separate that on the field and off the field, you're going to be in a lot of trouble in your life.
Football is pretty much played 16 times a year, where training is kind of a year-round thing.