The rumor about Troy Polamalu buying a house in central Cambria County, Pa.

… it must have been the hair

I distinctly remember when I first heard of this rumor. I had been teaching some classes in the morning and had stopped for lunch at Penn Gables Restaurant in Ebensburg for the lenten fish special. 

That was when I was asked, “Did you hear that Troy Polamalu bought a house near here?”

My response was something like this, “Yes, and I have some prize land in Florida to sell which is great — except for the alligators.”

“No, really, Jake [I cannot remember his name] lives out there and saw him a couple of times.”

My answer again was succinct, “Why would an All-Pro future hall-of-famer from Samoa buy a home in Cambria County?”

That always left them stymied. It just did not make sense for a guy whose relatives are from Samoa and who grew up with the warm weather on the West Coast spending time in Cambria County despite playing in Pittsburgh with the Steelers. 

Lasted for quite a while

So, over the next few years a decade or so ago, I would always start my lunch request with this question, “Any more Troy sightings?”

Some people said that he and his family stayed there in the spring and summer and then left in August, coming back at Christmas on occasion. For them, that made sense. He would leave right before training camp and then return after the season. 

Still did not make sense to me.

So, I made a look at the Troy bio on the Steeler website, and it noted his background growing up in Oregon and playing at Southern Cal. Nothing about a summer home in Cambria County. 

Finally, the truth

After a few years, when I asked about Troy at Penn Gables, I learned that a delivery person had stopped at the home and had seen the man with the Troy-like hair and dark features. 

“Yeah, he has that hair and looks like a Samoan, but it is definitely not Troy.”

That ended the rumor once and for all. Never again heard of a Troy sighting in Cambria County.