A Defensive Anchor Walks a Spiritual Path

From The New York Times-

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu opened his red leather-bound playbook to a dog-eared page. “The life of a man hangs by a hair,” he began reading in a voice as soft as falling snow. “At every step our life hangs in the balance.”

It was three days before the Steelers’ A.F.C. divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, a matchup in which the Super Bowl aspirations of two worthy contenders hang in the balance, and Polamalu was getting himself centered.

“How many millions of people woke up in the morning, never to see the evening?” Polamalu read. And then: “The life of a man is a dream. In a dream, one sees things that do not exist; he might see that he is crowned a king, but when he wakes up, he sees that in reality he is just a pauper.”

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/sports/football/13polamalu.html?_r=1

NFL players still turn to religion for solace

From The Pittsburgh Tribune review-

Adoring fans carried star safety Troy Polamalu on their shoulders — passing him off, one to another, as though they could live through his efforts.

Such adulation during the parade downtown honoring the Steelers after their victory in Super Bowl XL in 2006 might have given someone else a bloated sense of entitlement.

Polamalu? He flew to Greece, living for four days in a 1,500-year-old monastery with Greek Orthodox monks.

Polamalu, who is Greek Orthodox, had stepped back to wonder what the victory and accompanying fame meant. He was unimpressed.

"Oh, OK, I won a Super Bowl," he said. "So what? I didn't have that fulfillment like what God could provide for me."

Polamalu is one of several Steelers who make religion and prayer a way of life while engaging in a sport that rewards brutality. It is such a part of the Steelers' culture that Polamalu and other defensive backs pray in a huddle between each series. Back in the locker room, a small carton of scripture books, entitled "Our Daily Bread," sits on a shelf next to a box of footballs.

"Nowhere in the Bible does it say that followers of Christ are soft," safety Ryan Clark said. "If you think of some of the stories in the Bible, some of the strongest, hardest and most sacrificial men were men of Christ."

More here-

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_700270.html

They're the Lords of the Rings

There's a bit of a celebration going on here today !

It's one for the other thumb.

Santonio Holmes made an acrobatic touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining in a heart-stopping comeback, allowing the Steelers to become the first team to win six Super Bowls. It earned Holmes a ring and the trophy as the game's MVP.

"It's going down in history," Holmes said after his catch gave the Steelers a dramatic 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. "All I did was extend my arms and use my toes."

The Steelers, with the league's No. 1 defense, had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter lead as Larry Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes, giving him a record seven touchdown catches in the postseason.

That lead was built on James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown on the last play of the first half, which became the longest play in Super Bowl history.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09033/946343-66.stm

A Super Bowl of Faith as Both Steelers and Cardinal Owners Are Deeply Committed Christians

Brian Rooney commented on Art Rooney Sr., the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers saying: "My grandfather, Art Rooney, went to church service everyday - no matter where he was or how important any signal game may be. He was always interacting with the players, coaches, and everyone else in the organization. His faith was infectious and still sets the tone for the team today. Before every game we have a family Mass. In fact, when I get to Tampa on Saturday, the first place I will be is the Saturday family Mass before the big game."

Rooney went on to say, "I remember as a young boy, after every game - no matter how big - the team would come into the locker room, take a knee, and recite the Lord's Prayer. Only after the prayer would Coach Chuck Noll, another man of great Christian faith, say his post game comments.

“Tony Dungy was a Steelers player and assistant coach then, and Noll's quiet faith and leadership style shaped Coach Dungy's. It's no accident that Coach Mike Tomlin, a protégé of Coach Dungy's, leads the team in line with how Noll and Dungy led. This has always been the Steelers' way, the Rooney way, which is really founded upon the rock of our Christian faith. No matter who wins the game on Sunday, the Bidwells, Rooneys, and many players on both sides will give thanks to God after, and this says more about our country then the game itself."

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09013014.html

Jesus visits the Super Bowl

From the National Post-

The Cardinals' star is quarterback Kurt Warner, an evangelical who mentions God in almost every interview and is often seen with a Bible in hand. Mr. Warner, a rags-to-riches character, was bagging groceries before his NFL career began. He conducts weekly Bible-study sessions during the season, and as many as 20 of his teammates attend.

Pittsburgh has Troy Polamalu, an All-Pro safety with flowing black hair and a reputation for delivering savage hits on enemy players. Mr. Polamalu is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. His voice is little more than a whisper, when he actually speaks. "I feel like faith is the foundation of everything I do on and off the field," he said this week in Tampa. "It determines how you live your life when you love God."

God, it seems, is everywhere at the Super Bowl: in the players' words, in the Bible Mr. Warner carries, in the athlete prayer circles commonplace at NFL games, and on the giant "Super Bowl Champion is Jesus" banner that a retired Tampa pastor has hired a plane to pull across the Florida skies later today.

http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1237478

From Super Bowl XL

Orthodox glad to claim Polamalu as one of their own

From this morning's Post-Gazette-

Most NFL fans are familiar with the sight of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu crossing himself during games, but one subset of fans is gleefully aware that he crosses himself from right to left, rather than left to right.

"Each time there is an important play, he makes his cross the Orthodox way. Nobody else does this, and it is a beautiful thing," said Metropolitan Maximos, of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh, who officiated at the wedding of Troy and Theodora Polamalu four years ago.

Mr. Polamalu, an ethnic Samoan, long has had a strong Christian faith, but was non-denominational until he joined his wife's Greek Orthodox church. The metropolitan is quick to note that Orthodox enthusiasm for Mr. Polamalu isn't intended to denigrate any other branch of Christianity.

"I'm very proud of him. But, to be honest, I don't care if his background is Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox or any of the Protestant communities, as long as the guy is a faithful person. And Polamalu is that, and his wife is as well," he said.

When football doesn't allow the Polamalus to worship together on Sundays, they make weekday visits to the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Saxonburg. Their infant son was baptized there. But the nuns won't be watching him play in the Super Bowl, Metropolitan Maximos said, because they don't watch anything on television that isn't religious.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09032/945810-66.stm

We're Going to Tampa

Celebration in the "Burgh"

The Steelers hadn't been able to celebrate an AFC championship at home in 13 years, and a record crowd at Heinz Field stayed into the night to savor the 23-14 victory against the Baltimore Ravens that punched the team's ticket to the Super Bowl for a seventh time.

"This is for you," owner Dan Rooney said to the fans at a mid-field ceremony punctuated by Zambelli fireworks lighting up the wintry sky last night.

The Lamar Hunt Trophy presented to the AFC champions was handed over by Rod Woodson, who with Dermontti Dawson served as honorary co-captains for the game.

Had it not been for a super play by super safety Troy Polamalu, the outcome could have been an Edgar Allan Poe-like horror.

With the Steelers nursing a two-point lead in a game that was way too close for comfort, Polamalu intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes, 24 seconds remaining. It was the final score against the rival Ravens, who lost three times to the Steelers this season.

"That's Troy," said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who dedicated the victory to the troops serving overseas. "He comes out of nowhere. I was just so happy that he scored."


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09019/942844-66.stm