Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu Announces His Retirement
By Larry Snyder
Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu has decided it is time to retire. It was reported by Jim Wexell of the Uniontown Herald-Standard Thursday evening that the strong safety called Steelers chairman Dan Rooney to tell him the news.
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The 5-foot-10, 207-pound USC product was selected by Pittsburgh in the first round, the 16th pick overall, of the 2003 NFL Draft. In his stellar career, he was voted All-Pro five times and made eight Pro Bowl teams.
Polamalu, who will turn 34 on April 19, started 158 games, contributed 581 solo tackles, and assisted on another 194 stops. The Garden Grove, Calif. native collected 32 interceptions, forced 14 fumbles, and had seven fumble recoveries.
He was one of the defensive leaders who helped the Steelers win two out of three Super Bowl appearances. The first was a 21-10 victory in February 2006 against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 40. The next was a 27-23 win in February 2009 against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl 43. The team’s last Super Bowl appearance was Super Bowl 45 in February 2011 and they lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-25.
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The man who wore the No. 43 jersey was named the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The game took its toll on him as he played in just seven games in 2012 due to a calf injury. Last season, he missed four games due to a knee injury.
I join the men and women of Steelers Country who will always remember him for making the big play when the team needed it the most.
According to Dave Bryan at SteelersDepot.com, Polamalu had two years remaining on his contract. He was to earn six million in 2015. If his retirement is made official after June 1, that will be the amount Pittsburgh will clear in salary cap space for the upcoming campaign.
From The Clipboard: The 2015 preseason schedule for the Black and Gold was announced and it includes the Minnesota Vikings, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Green Bay Packers, the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers.
The match-up with the Vikings will kick-off the preseason at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. It will be televised on NBC and broadcasted on radio by Westwood One Sports.
The two home exhibition games will be against the Packers and Panthers. The two road contests will be against the Jaguars and Bills. These four will be televised on KDKA-TV. The dates and times will be announced in the next few weeks.