I admire Troy Polamalu as much because of his personal attributes — character, humility, spirituality — as I do his awesome physical talent, which is why his selection to the Hall of Fame is a special joy

Troy Polamalu with son, Paisios, now 11, after Super Bowl win

... humility the key to his character

You cannot have an experience of God without humility.

Troy Polamalu on what he has learned spiritually

The joy that I have upon learning that former Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu has been elected to the NFL Hall of Fame is tempered by the fact that I not just like him, I respect him.

Respect has to be earned. It is not something that you give just because of tremendous physical talent on the football field.

What I learned about Troy perhaps a decade ago has just deepened my respect for him. I wrote this about him a few years ago,

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very devout religious player. His name is Troy Polamalu, and he is a fervent Orthodox Christian. However, he does not go through his pre-game ritual on the field. He does it alone in a private space off a hallway where he can have some peace and solitude. He has a regular religious ritual that is important for him. His fellow players -- and the media -- do not approach him during this time.

Hugh Brady Conrad blog, Still Crazy After All These Years

His expression different from other Christians

What is so impressive about Troy’s religious beliefs are that they are very personal, not public. He is not one of those faux Christians who go out before a game and make sure that everyone in the stadium see them kneeling and praying.

During games, he would make the sign of the cross before every play, but the media and commentators did not comment about that. They realized that it was personal, not showy.

The religion that he and his wife Theodosa practice is one that they have allowed to evolve in their intellects and spirits. It has been a journey, and when he prayed before a game, he was alone, or with his two children, in a remote, private area under Heinz Field.

Troy’s yearning for spirituality

Polamalu was selected in the first round by the Steelers in 2003, and the team had to trade up to ensure that they could have him. He immediately became one of the premiere safeties/defensive backs in the league.

However, few stories were written about his spiritual beliefs — unless they were right-wing Christian screeds that were attempting to talk about his “love for Jesus.”

The evangelicals wanted to do what they did to Tim Tebow, make him a poster boy for Christianity. That is not the spirituality that that Troy and Theodosa found in their quest for beliefs,

“We both kind of went through a spiritual revival/revolution when we were deeply searching for religion — me personally, especially,” Polamalu explains. “I started asking questions in my own life. If I was born in Saudi Arabia, would I be a Muslim? If I was born in Utah, would I be a Mormon? If I was born in the Bible Belt, would I be a Baptist? I started questioning a lot about different religions and I did a lot of research, years of research. And I talked with Buddhist monks, Roman Catholic monks, with Greek Orthodox monks and priests and preachers, just trying to figure it out for myself.

“I not only studied the [Jewish] faith, I studied the Hebrew language. I read the Book of Mormon. I was just so thirsty for knowledge.

“But I always came back to Christianity. And I started studying a lot about the Christian Church, Christian history. I started studying about the New Testament and the Old Testament, which made me learn a lot about the historical church, that being the Orthodox Church.

“I started talking with Orthodox monks and a priest, and my wife and I decided to join the Orthodox Church, particularly the Greek Orthodox Church, my wife being Greek. We studied under a priest for almost a year before we were baptized into the faith.”

Pittsburgh Magazine, 2014

Humility, not public adulation, key to Troy’s spirituality

When right-wing Christians try to say that Troy is like Tim Tebow, they are entirely wrong because of that emphasis on humility. Polamalu never goes out and prays before fans so that they can use him in commercials. Certainly, he does commercials — for his hair. But, his spirituality is rooted in humility. 

And he certainly would not marry a former Miss Universe candidate. He married a woman of intellectual and spiritual substance.

[I differentiate between religion and spirituality. Religion is something created by man, spirituality is a gift from God. Troy talks about religion, but his practice is spiritual.]

In another interview, he said this about that aspect of his journey,

There’s an amazing monk who lives in Arizona – Abbot Ephraim, my spiritual father. He’s the epitome of Mt. Athos brought to America

[I learned from him] that you cannot have an experience of God without humility.

Polamalu walks the walk with his spiritual practice

In addition to his quiet spiritual beliefs, the Polamalu's practice their Christianity in giving to those downtrodden or in need, as the New Testament preaches -- and they do so with fanfare,

The Troy & Theodora Polamalu Foundation is identified at Troy43.com as the family’s primary philanthropic initiative, established to “achieve all their various charitable goals while retaining the flexibility to react to acute needs as they arise.”

Providing permanent shelter to those in American Samoa displaced by the 2009 tsunami is an example of the latter.

The Harry Panos Fund for Veterans, a separate initiative from the foundation, is “dedicated to helping those who bravely served our country in foreign wars.” Theodora Polamalu’s maternal grandfather, Harry Panos, served as an artilleryman in battles on Okinawa and Saipan during World War II.

Troy Polamalu regularly is among the group of Steelers who visit the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., whenever the team plays a road game in Baltimore or Washington. He’s also one of the most often-requested players whenever the Steelers hear from Make-a-Wish America.
But his weekly visits to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC are the stuff of local legend.

“There are no cameras, no pomp and circumstance,” says Michael Shulock, a child life specialist in the Oncology Clinic at Children’s. “When he comes in, he says, ‘Who can I chat with today? Who can I play video games with today? Who can I draw with today?’

“Even though he can see they’re excited and happy to be around him and take pictures and have him sign stuff, he affects these kids probably more than he can ever imagine. It’s something he can’t know, the impact he has on these kids and their families.”

Pittsburgh Magazine, 2014

Conclusion

That is why I love Troy Polamalu. The Steelers have had 19 other Hall of Famers, but never have they had one who had this unique combination of character, humility, and spirituality.

Troy and Theodosa are the parents to two children, Paisios, who was born on Oct. 31, 2008, and Ephraim, born on Sept. 16, 2010.