Troy Polamalu leads Super Steelers contingent at Pro Football Hall of Fame induction

CANTON, Ohio — Troy Polamalu kept his long flowing hair tied up Saturday night, but not for long. When he ultimately let it down, he took the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony along with it.

With thousands of Pittsburgh Steelers fans cheering loudly while hanging on his every word, Polamalu spoke passionately about humility and sacrifice during an enshrinement speech that stole the show on a night when a dozen new members were welcomed to the Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 centennial class.

Polamalu joined his former coach, Bill Cowher, and another super safety, Donnie Shell, in the contingent of Steelers representatives honored at Tom Benson Stadium. Former Pitt offensive lineman Jimbo Covert, of Freedom High School, also was inducted.

His attendance in question until Saturday because of a positive covid test a week earlier, Polamalu clearly was the favorite among the pro-Steelers fans that made the two-hour drive from Pittsburgh to attend the ceremony.

Wearing a pink mask when he received his gold jacket before the ceremony, Polamalu showed support for his Samoan heritage by sporting a red lei when he walked on the stage to unveil his bust along with presenter Dick LeBeau.

The applause was so great for Polamalu that he paused for a moment to take it in. Then he threw his arms in the air in a plea for more. Steeler Nation obliged.

Tears welled in Polamalu’s eyes as he spoke into the microphone.

“I love football,” he said. “It was my entire life since as long as I could remember.”

Polamalu surely became the first Hall of Fame inductee to cite Charles Dickens and Beethoven in his induction speech. He said such artists influenced his life from a young age.

“These great men were known to have a beast-like work ethic,” he said, “coupled with an unwavering ability to create until perfection beyond what most believed the human body would allow.”

Polamalu credited Cowher with teaching his players to “embody the yinzer spirit of hard work, humility and toughness coupled with loyalty so we could accurately represent the city of Pittsburgh.”

He called playing for the Steelers a “brotherhood that is deeper than money, business and winning.”

“When wearing the black-and-gold suit of armor, make sure nobody desecrates it, disrespects it and most importantly, we ourselves don’t dishonor it,” he said.

He said the highest approval should be sought from the franchise’s “previous legends.”

“If you really earned their respect,” Polamalu said, “they’ll say, ‘You could have played with us.’”

The Steelers were well represented among the gold jackets on the dais. Among Hall of Famers returning for the ceremony were Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Bount, Dermontti Dawson and Rod Woodson. Pitt legends Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett were present, too.

Introduced by team president Art Rooney II, Cowher was the last of the dozen inductees to speak. He thumped his chest in approval when fans cheered his appearance on stage.

Cowher said it was “unbelievable” to be enshrined on the same weekend as two of the players he helped draft – Polamalu and guard Alan Faneca, who will be inducted Sunday in the 2021 class.

“For all the guys who played for me, thank you for your sacrifice, commitment and trust,” Cowher said.

Cowher closed his speech by mentioning his two mentors: Marty Schottenheimer and Dan Rooney.

He called Rooney “a visionary leader who never missed a teaching moment.”

Cowher recalled that before the Steelers went on their run of eight consecutive victories in 2005 to become the first No. 6 seed to win the Super Bowl, Rooney gave him a set of rosary beads.

“I said, ‘Dan, I’m not Catholic,’” Cowher said, clutching the beads. “Without missing a beat, Dan said, ‘Coach, it doesn’t matter. Every little bit helps.’”

Shell was the first of the Steelers’ contingent to take the podium. He eschewed having a member of the organization present him, instead selecting his eldest daughter, April, to help unveil his bust.

“It’s been a long journey, but a good one,” said Shell, who had to wait three decades before his Hall of Fame election.

An undrafted free agent from South Carolina State in 1974, Shell recalled a reporter wanting to interview him in his first training camp. He was taken aback when the reporter said Shell was a long shot to make the team.

“Factually, he was correct,” Shell said. “When the facts get in the way of your goal, you must go against the grain of what is true to achieve your goal. So I looked him square in the eye and said, ‘Mister, I’m from South Carolina State University, and coach Willie Jeffries said I can do whatever I want to do when I get to training camp. I have good chance to make this team.

“The thing I liked about Chuck Noll was he didn’t care where you came from or what college you went to, but are you self-motivated?”

Properly motivated, Shell recorded 51 career interceptions, the most by a strong safety in NFL history. He is one of five players from his rookie class now enshrined in Canton.

Covert spent eight seasons with the Chicago Bears after excelling at Pitt where he was molded into a first-round draft pick.

He credited his parents for providing the proper foundation and guidance while growing up in Conway. His father worked in the steel mill and also had a second job delivering furniture for Sears. His mother worked at J.C. Penney.

“I never had to look far for role models,” he said, “because they were right down the hall.”

Covert thanked Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill and position coach Joe Moore, who told the converted defensive lineman that he would one day be an All-American.

“I would have run through a brick wall for that guy,” Covert said.