56. One of the most inspiring people I've had the pleasure to know in some capacity.

Joining several gazillion other people around the world, I watched with several friends tonight as the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up the franchise's 6th Super Bowl trophy in a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, if it were under normal circumstances, I wouldn't really have a dog in that fight. I don't have any particularly strong connections to either Pittsburgh or Arizona. If anything, I probably would've rooted for the underdog Cardinals.

But these weren't normal circumstances. Not for me, at least.

An acquaintance from my days at USC plays for the Steelers, so I had to root for him and his team.

But to merely say that Troy Polamalu plays for the Steelers is akin to saying that Picasso painted a few pictures. In six seasons with Pittsburgh--since going as the 16th overall pick in the NFL draft--Troy has become a bona fide superstar, a defensive powerhouse who anchors a pretty tough Iron City defense.

That, and his madman's mane of hair that flows out from behind his helmet makes #43 a pretty recognizable--and ominous--figure to anyone who's seen even a few minutes of a Steelers game.

What I love about Troy, though, is the fact that he's not only a stellar, almost-certainly-Hall-of-Fame-bound football player, but also an all around amazing individual. While he comes off as a wildebeest on the field, off the field he's about the nicest individual you've ever met. Incredibly soft-spoken and humble. Generous with both his time and his money (my friend Chana is a Pittsburgh native, and has told me how much Troy's visits to her oft-hospitalized brother mean to her family). A dedicated husband and newly-minted father.

And--probably most encouraging for me, personally--he's an incredibly devout Christian, who takes his faith as seriously as anyone I've ever met.

I got to know Troy in a limited capacity while at USC: we were in the same writing class our junior year. But after class one day, we got to talking, due, in part, to the fact that we discovered that we shared the same faith (but also, if I'm being honest, because I was kinda starstruck). From that point on, we would often talk after class, often kicking around the idea of visiting each others' campus ministries (which sadly never actually happened).

In fact, one of my favorite memories from that spring was when--walking home from a different class one day--I saw Troy sitting on a bench in Alumni Park. He waved me over, inviting me to grab a seat and chat for a while before his next class. I don't remember what we talked about, but I do remember how incredibly gracious, humble, and friendly he was; that one of the biggest stars of the USC football team would invite a no-name guy like me to shoot the breeze with him for a while was so impressive and unexpected. But that's always how Troy seemed to be.


I lost touch with him pretty much after our Senior Year (this photo was taken after our Senior year Homecoming game), but I've been closely following his remarkable career in the NFL. I love that he's become such a tremendously successful NFL player. And I consider myself incredibly blessed to be able to say that I have known this amazing individual.

Congrats on earning your second Super Bowl ring, Troy. I am so incredibly proud of you!