Over the weekend, former USC football star Troy Polamalu got the famous knock on his door from Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker, receiving his invitation as a first-ballot selection to the Hall of Fame class of 2020.
The two-time Super Bowl champion and former strong safety spent his professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Polamalu retired in 2015 after playing 12 seasons for the Steelers, placing him in his first year of eligibility for a Hall of Fame selection.
When Polamalu came to USC in 1999, no one would have guessed he would someday be a Hall of Fame inductee. Former USC head coach Paul Hackett took the recommendation of running back coach Kennedy Polamalu, Troy’s uncle, and signed on the 3-star safety.
When Pete Carroll became USC’s head coach in 2001, Polamalu played a pivotal role in what would become a Trojan dynasty. By the end of his collegiate career, Polamalu tallied 278 tackles, six interceptions, four blocked punts and three touchdowns.
Polamalu continued to be a dominant defensive force in his 12-year professional career. In 2010, he was voted Defensive Player of the Year with seven interceptions. Polamalu totaled 32 interceptions,12 sacks and 770 tackles in his career. His spotlight moment was during the 2008 AFC championship when he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. This pivotal moment earned the Steelers a slot in Super Bowl XLIII and an eventual victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis was not even born when Polamalu signed on with the Trojans, but he was exposed to the safety’s game as a Cardinals fan in the 2009 Super Bowl.
“I wasn’t a Steelers fan growing up, but I was a big Troy Polamalu fan,” Slovis said. “I’m a Cardinals fan and he tore my heart out in the Super Bowl.”
It is Polamalu’s namesake, professional career and legacy both on and off the field that inspires the young slinger today.
“Anything with USC, especially during the Pete Carroll era, you think of Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu,” Slovis said.
The freshman quarterback believes that Polamalu’s position in the class is both well deserved and overdue.
“Honestly when I saw it, I was thinking it should have happened a long time ago,” Slovis said. “The fact that he was a first-ballot speaks to the fact that it was an obvious choice for the NFL.”
The consensus around the USC campus is, even if you weren’t pulling for the Pittsburgh Steelers, you still loved rooting for Polamalu.
Sophomore Nolan Macban shares Slovis’ sentiment, saying it was “about time.”
“He's one of the greatest to ever play at this program … and he was an even better pro, said Macban. “I’m not a Steelers fan, but I have a lot of respect for his game. He’s one of the better, most iconic defensive players in the past couple decades and he’s inspired a lot of current players.”
Polamalu will officially join Trojan royalty such as running back Marcus Allen, defensive back Ronnie Lott, running back O.J. Simpson and wide receiver Lynn Swann on August 8 in Canton, Ohio for induction.