Troy Polamalu
D.O.B. - 04/19/81 in Garden Grove, CA USA
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 215 lbs
ProBowl Selections: (3) 2005, 2006, 2007
High School
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.
College (USC)
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.
To view the clip of the Polamalu/Palmer NFL Interception click here.
NFL Draft in 2003
Polamalu was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 16th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. The Chargers, who had the 15th overall pick, had a major need at safety to replace the departed Rodney Harrison but instead chose to go with quantity over quality forgoing the opportunity to select Troy by trading down and getting Sammy Davis and Terrence Kiel. The Steelers, ecstatic that Polamalu slid past the Chargers, 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 27th spot to the 16th spot, originally held by the Chiefs. The Steelers traded away the 92nd and 200th overall pick for the rights to switch first round picks and select Troy Polamalu. Essentially the trade was Polamalu for Larry Johnson, Julian Battle and Brooks Bollinger (Bollinger 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.
NFL Stats
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