Polamalu: The Inspirational Story of Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu

On September 17 2007, Pittsburgh sportswriter Jim Wexell embarked on a road trip to chronicle Steeler Nation. A year later, the journey ends. The book, Steeler A Pittsburgh Team An American Phenomenon, is the end result of that road trip. The book tells the tale of a six-week football road trip that swung south from Pittsburgh through Atlanta and Mobile, west through New Orleans, Phoenix and Los Angeles, north to Seattle, and then back east through Yellowstone Park, Denver, St. Louis and Cincinnati. The trip covered nearly 10,000 miles as Wexell talked to Steelers fans, players, ex-players, as well as their family, friends and rivals, while the Steelers played their way to a division championship. The author found fans in the most remote outposts of the country and he walked in the footsteps of the current Pittsburgh Steelers. The lives of 19 current Steelers are examined, including James Harrison, Heath Miller, Willie Parker, Lawrence Timmons, Hines Ward, Ike Taylor, Casey Hampton, Troy Polamalu, Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, and Ben Roethlisberger, and the result is plenty of fresh information about this group of individuals that made up the core of the 2005 championship team. Along with pre-game tailgates and post-game interviews, included in Wexell's trip are visits with the greatest Steelers bars and fans in the country, and interviews with former Steelers greats such as Greg Lloyd, who discusses his past, present and future with typical Lloyd passion. Wexell spent the first two weeks of the trip with friend and RV owner Jan "Pappy" Jones. The two rode in a 35-foot motor home with Wexell's car in tow. The trip continued into the northeast corner of the country to complete the season, the Steelers' landmark 75th in the NFL. It's the trip every Steelers fan would love to make, and Jim Wexell takes you with him in this 256-page journey.