There are few players more intrinsically linked with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Steelers Way over the past quarter-century than S Troy Polamalu. A Hall of Famer drafted in the first round out of USC, he is a first-class human being and ambassador for the team, the organization, and their business model.
But he had to learn all of that when he first arrived in the Iron City, which is nowhere near where he wanted to be. Not the first player who ultimately made a second home in perhaps a place he’d never imagined, and certainly not the last, but no, the Santa Ana native was not interested in traveling far, and knew little of his future employers when he came out of school.