Troy Polamalu Troy Aumua Polamalu ( ; born April 19 , 1981 ) , born Troy Aumua , is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Southern California ( USC ) , and earned All - American honors . He was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft . He has been a member of two of the Steelers ' Super Bowl championship teams , and has been selected for the Pro Bowl eight times , and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and is considered by many as one of the best safeties to ever play the game . Early years . Polamalu was born in Garden Grove , California . He is of Samoan descent . He graduated from Douglas High School in Winston , Oregon . Despite playing in only four games during his senior season due to injury , he was named to the 1998 Super Prep All - Northwest team , " Tacoma News Tribune " Western 100 , and the All - Far West League second team . A two - way player , Polamalu rushed for 671 yards with nine touchdowns and had three interceptions . Following his junior season , Polamalu was named to the All - State first team and was the All - Far West League Offensive Most Valuable Player for Douglas High , which achieved a 9 - 1 record . He rushed for 1 , 040 yards with 22 touchdowns and had 310 receiving yards . On defense , he made 65 tackles and had eight interceptions . In high school , Polamalu also played baseball and basketball , where he also received all - state and all - league honors . College career . Polamalu received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Southern California , and played for the USC Trojans football team from 1999 to 2002 . He spent his first year at USC as a backup where he became a hybrid player , playing at both safety positions . Despite being only a backup player at the time , Polamalu still made his mark in the eight games he played in , collecting two sacks , two forced fumbles and blocking a punt . He became a full - time starter at the strong safety position the following year . He added three blocked punts and two forced fumbles during the season and also saw time on punt return duty . In 2002 , his last year at USC , Polamalu started in all but one game , giving him 36 total starts in his college career . Polamalu finished his career at USC as a three - year starter . In all , he made 278 tackles with 29 of them being behind the line of scrimmage , six interceptions , 13 pass deflections and four blocked punts . Following his senior season in 2002 , Polamalu was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American , after receiving first - team All - American honors from the Associated Press , the Football Writers Association of America , the Walter Camp Football Foundation and ESPN . He was also a two - time first - team All - Pac - 10 selection and was awarded the Most Inspirational Player Award by his teammates . Polamalu was named as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award , given to the nation ' s best defensive back . Professional career . 2003 NFL Draft . In the last game of his college career the Orange Bowl , Polamalu injured his knee in pre - game warm - ups and had very limited action in the game that day . The injury also caused Polamalu to miss the Senior Bowl and 2003 NFL Combine . Polamalu was able to perform for scouts at his USC pro day . Troy Polamalu was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers . Polamalu was actually the team ' s second option at safety , as they had planned on signing Dexter Jackson that offseason . Jackson , the reigning Super Bowl MVP with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , even had a verbal agreement to sign with the Steelers , only to back out at the last minute and sign with the Arizona Cardinals instead . The Steelers then drafted Polamalu . The Chargers , who had the 15th overall pick , had a major need at safety to replace Rodney Harrison but instead passed on the opportunity to select Polamalu by trading down and getting Sammy Davis and Terrence Kiel . The Steelers quickly made a move to bring Polamalu to their team . The Steelers believed so much that Polamalu could have a positive impact on their defense that they traded up from the twenty - seventh spot to the sixteenth spot , originally held by the Chiefs . The Steelers traded away the ninety - second and two hundredth overall pick for the rights to switch first round picks . Essentially , the trade was Polamalu for Larry Johnson , Julian Battle , and Brooks Bollinger ( the Bollinger pick was subsequently traded to the Jets in the same draft ) . He has the distinction of being the only safety ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round . Polamalu signed a five - year , $ 8 , 275 , 000 contract . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers use Polamalu in a high percentage of defensive plays in a wide variety of defensive roles . In only his third season ( 2005 ) , he tied the NFL record for most sacks in a single game by a safety , achieving three sacks . The 2007 Pro Bowl was his third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance . He started at weak safety for the AFC , playing next to the Baltimore Ravens starting free safety Ed Reed . The rivalry they share based on their teams ' divisional rivalry was evident , as the two battled for possession of an overthrown halfback pass from former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber , which Reed eventually caught . He made the AP NFL All - Pro Second Team in 2005 , followed by being named to the First Team in 2006 . His first Super Bowl appearance was in Super Bowl XL in 2006 , when the Pittsburgh Steelers gained the franchise ' s fifth Super Bowl win by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21 - 10 . On July 23 , 2007 , before training camp , the Steelers gave Polamalu the biggest contract in team history , extending him through 2011 . In an article on ESPN . com , Polamalu said , " I did not want to be a player who is jumping from team to team . " Polamalu has repeatedly expressed his intent on staying with the Steelers . The four - year contract extension , worth just over $ 30 million with about $ 15 million in guarantees , made Polamalu one of the highest paid defensive backs in the league and the highest paid safety in the league , though this distinction was later taken by Bob Sanders on December 28 , 2007 when he signed a five - year , $ 37 . 5 million contract with $ 20 million in guarantees . Polamalu was named a reserve to the 2008 Pro Bowl despite having no interceptions and only playing in 11 games during the 2007 season . Polamalu ' s injury - plagued 2007 season led him to partake in a California rehab program . He suffered a hamstring injury late in his off - season workout , causing him to miss Pittsburgh ' s 2008 training camp . He returned to practicing with the team days after the camp ' s conclusion , however . In the spring of 2008 , NFLShop . com reported that Polamalu ' s # 43 jersey was the 15th - highest - selling jersey in the NFL . The only Pittsburgh Steeler to sell more was Ben Roethlisberger ' s # 7 jersey , at the 10th spot . Polamalu ' s 4th quarter interception return for a touchdown in the 2008 AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens helped the Steelers clinch a victory en route to another Super Bowl appearance . At Super Bowl XLIII , he only got two assisted tackles in the Steelers victory over the Cardinals , 27 – 23 . Polamalu was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl as the AFC ' s strong safety after being given a unanimous vote by five experts . He was joined by Steelers teammates James Harrison and James Farrior . 2009 Season . In the 2009 season opener against the Tennessee Titans , Polamalu recorded six tackles and one interception before getting injured while trying to recover a blocked field goal . He sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee , and missed the next four games . He returned to play in the sixth week of the season against the Cleveland Browns . He later reinjured himself against the Bengals . In a Sports Illustrated survey of 296 active NFL players , Polamalu was ranked the 9th " dirtiest player " in the NFL . 2010 Season . In the 2010 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons , Polamalu made a possible game - saving interception with 1 : 45 left in the game . The Steelers went on to win in overtime . In week 13 of 2010 , Polamalu made a game - changing play against the Baltimore Ravens forcing a fumble with a sack to set up a 9 - yard touchdown pass to Isaac Redman with 2 : 51 left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 13 - 10 victory . In week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals , Polamalu cut in front of intended receiver Terrell Owens to intercept Palmer ' s pass and return it 45 yards for a touchdown . Polamalu re - injured an ankle on this interception , but stayed in the game . He would record another interception later in the game . He missed the next 2 games with an ankle injury but returned for the last game of the season against the Cleveland Browns . In that game , he intercepted Colt McCoy before being pulled from the game when the Steelers were leading by over 30 points . It gave him his 7th interception of the year . In the spring of 2010 , NFLShop . com reported that Polamalu ' s # 43 jersey was the highest - selling jersey in the NFL among men and women . On January 31 , 2011 , Polamalu was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year after receiving 17 votes , beating out fellow USC Trojan and Packers linebacker Clay Matthews for the award , who received 15 votes . He also won the NFL Alumni Player of the Year award , despite being beaten out for Defensive Back of the Year by Aqib Talib of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Personal life . Polamalu is of American Samoa n descent and was raised by his mother ' s brother Salu Polamalu in rural Southern Oregon . Born Troy Aumua , he petitioned in 2007 to change his legal name to his mother ' s maiden name of Polamalu , which he had been using for the previous fifteen years . Polamalu ' s uncle Kennedy Polamalu was the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach for five years , during which time the Jaguars defeated Polamalu ' s Steelers in four of their five meetings , and is currently the running backs coach for UCLA . Another uncle , Aoatoa Polamalu , played nose tackle at Penn State from 1984 – 1988 . His cousin Joe Polamalu played linebacker for Oregon State University and another cousin Miaka Polamalu currently plays fullback for the United States Naval Academy . Another cousin Leie Sualua played at University of Oregon and Nicky Sualua at Ohio State then to the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals . Polamalu is married to Theodora Holmes and has two sons : Paisios , born on October 31 , 2008 , and Ephraim , born September 16 , 2010 . Theodora is the sister of NFL player and USC Trojans alumnus Alex Holmes . He resides with his family in Pittsburgh during the football season and San Diego , California during the off - season . Polamalu ' s favorite pastimes include surfing , growing flowers , making furniture and playing the piano . Despite Polamalu ' s hard - hitting style on the gridiron , he is known off the field as a soft - spoken family man . 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 . He makes the Sign of the Cross after every play . Among his spiritual activities was a 2007 pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian sites in Greece and Turkey . 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 , including not watching football games at home . He prays after each play and on the sidelines . His sons are both named after well - known Orthodox Christian saints : Saint Paisios the Great of Egypt and Saint Ephraim the Syrian . Polamalu and his wife founded the Harry Panos Fund to honor Theodora ' s grandfather , who served in World War II . During the 2011 NFL lockout , Polamalu utilized his time away from the field to return to the University of Southern California to complete his college education . On May 13 , 2011 , he graduated from USC with a bachelor ' s degree in history . On his personal website he explained , " I decided to finish what I started and walked that stage today not only because it was very important to me personally , but because I want to emphasize the importance of education , and that nothing should supersede it . " Teammate Ben Roethlisberger followed in Polamalu ' s footsteps the following offseason and finished his degree as well . Hair . Polamalu ' s hair is one of his most distinguishing characteristics , allowing him to be easily spotted on the field . In the " CBS Playoffs Pre - game Show " , Polamalu said the last time he had gotten a haircut was in 2000 at USC when a coach told him he needed one . On November 9 , 2010 , while appearing on " Mike and Mike in the Morning " , Polamalu said he had his most recent haircut seven or eight years prior . In an October 15 , 2006 game against the Kansas City Chiefs , Chiefs ' running back Larry Johnson pulled Polamalu down by the hair in order to tackle him . Although tackling a player by his hair is legal and does not alone constitute unnecessary roughness , Johnson was penalized for rising to his feet while retaining grasp of Polamalu ' s hair ( pulling him up in the process ) . Polamalu has a contract with Head & Shoulders shampoo , and has starred in five commercials for the product . In August 2010 , P & G paid for a million - dollar insurance policy from Lloyd ' s of London for Polamalu ' s hair . Polamalu ' s hair is 32 inches long . In the media . 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 Fox Sports announcer Dick Stockton ' 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 . During Super Bowl XLIII , a commercial of Polamalu aired that had him do a remake of the famous " Mean Joe " Greene Coca - Cola commercial , except it was advertising for Coca - Cola Zero instead . Two Coke " brand managers " take the Coke Zero bottle away right when the kid was to give it to Polamalu , with Polamalu subsequently tackling one of the managers . Then , instead of giving the kid his own jersey , he rips the shirt off the brand manager he had tackled and tossed it to the kid . Greene , who like Polamalu lives a very quiet life off the field in contrast to his on - field play , liked the commercial and gave his stamp of approval . He is on the cover of " Madden NFL 10 " with Larry Fitzgerald . On Eminem ' s 2010 album " Recovery " , the hidden track " Untitled " references Polamalu and his hair . He had a cameo in the 2012 film " The Dark Knight Rises " as a member of the Gotham Rogues .