Whether it was at USC or with the Pittsburgh Steelers, former American football player Troy Polamalu always stood out on the field. No, it wasn't just because of his long, luxurious hair, either.
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Primarily a hard-hitting, ball-hawking strong safety, few NFL players made the splash Polamalu did on the defensive side of the ball.
However, now that Polamalu is retired, what is he up to? What's going on in his personal life? He's quietly raising a family, when he isn't shooting ads for Head & Shoulders, at least.
Early Life & Career
Related: Troy Polamalu's Hair Had a $1 Million Insurance Policy
Troy Aumua Polamalu was born in Garden Grove, California. However, as a kid, he asked his mother if he could live in Oregon after visiting his aunt and uncle. His mom agreed. Polamalu ended up in Winston, Oregon, and went to Douglas High School.
He excelled in high school on both sides of the ball, but decided to go to the University of Southern California to pursue playing safety, much to the chagrin of wide receivers and tight ends across the Pac 10, we're sure.
It was a smart decision for Polamalu, as the All-American was named First-Team All-Pac 10 during his junior and senior seasons.
Due to a knee injury, Polamalu missed out on the Senior Bowl and the 2003 NFL Scouting Combine, but it did not stop him from becoming in a first-round pick. With the 16th selection of the 2003 NFL Draft, the Steelers took a shot on Polamalu.
The next year, Pittsburgh would spend their first-round pick on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, setting the stage for the franchise to become one of the preeminent football teams of the next decade. Note that we said one of, Patriots fans.
During his time playing NFL football, which lasted for 12 seasons, Polamalu made the Pro Bowl eight times and was named to an All-Pro team six times. His personal best season came in 2010 when he was named the Defensive Player of the Year. He had seven interceptions that year, which he returned for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, as any former NFL player will tell you (ad nauseum), football is a team sport, and Polamalu helped lead the Steelers to two Super Bowls in his career. The first came in 2005, while the second victory happened in 2008.
Polamalu would retire after the 2014 season, though it was not without controversy. The narrative at the time was that the Steelers basically pushed Polamalu into retirement, saying that if he did not retire he would be released.
While he considered calling Pittsburgh on it and signing with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent, he decided to just go ahead and retire.
In 2020, to the surprise of nobody, Polamalu was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Troy Polamalu's Wife and Family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLvfXP6Xoyk
Theodora Holmes knows a thing or two about football. Her father, Mike Holmes, played at the University of Michigan, and her brothers Khaled and Alex Holmes both played at USC and saw some time in the NFL. Now, she's married to Troy Polamalu.
The two met when Polamalu was playing with her brother Alex on the Trojans, and the two have been married since 2005.
Troy and Theodora are both very religious, specifically Orthodox Christian, which is clear in the name of their two children: Ephraim Polamalu and Paisios Polamalu. Both sons are named after Orthodox Christian saints.
The family currently lives near San Diego, because why deal with Pittsburgh winters when you no longer have to?
In addition to raising their children, the Polamalus run the Harry Panos Fund — a group that helps out U.S. veterans named in honor of Theodore's grandfather, a World War II veteran.
Oh, and Polamalu also voiced a villager in Disney's Moana, presumably because he has young kids and that's what you do when you are in such a situation. We assume the character he voiced also had amazing hair.
