Troy Polamalu was born on April 19, 1981 in Garden Grove, California. Polamalu is of Samoan descent, and is well known across the football world for his hard hits and endless energy on the field, as well as his soft spoken attitude off of it. Polamalu is definitely one of the best players and nicest guys in the NFL. This is a rare combination that is not matched by many.

Polamalu played high school football in Winston, Oregon at Douglas High School. In addition to earning a letter in football, Polamalu also lettered in baseball and basketball as well. This alone shows the type of athleticism that Polamalu brings to the game. As a senior in high school Polamalu was an All Far West player in football, which led him to choose this as his primary sport.

After high school Polamalu took his game to the University of Southern California. During three seasons as a starter at safety Polamalu wreaked havoc on opposing offenses. He finished his career with 278 tackles, 13 pass deflection, 6 interceptions, and four blocked punts.

Polamalu was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has been with the team ever since. He is the starting safety for the Steelers, and was a big reason that the team won the 2006 Super Bowl. But although Polamalu%u2019s game stands on its own, he may be most famous for his long hair. Polamalu has not had a hair cut since 2000 due to his Samoan culture in which men wear their hair long.

With such a quiet demeanor Polamalu does not get nearly as much recognition as other players with half of his skill level. But one thing is for sure. Polamalu does all of his talking on the field. He is always among the best defensive players in the league, and has been selected to several Pro Bowl teams.