The Pittsburgh Steelers' former offensive guard Ramon Foster spent 11 years playing in the NFL, all of them in the black and gold. During that time he played with and against more Pro Bowl players than he can count. However, Foster is sharing the story of the time he was star-struck.
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Ramon Foster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers after playing for the University of Tennessee.
This is a question you hear players get asked quite often in interviews, "who were you star-struck to meet as a rookie?" For Foster, the answer was simple, Troy Polamalu, but the story behind it is quite unusual.
Foster now hosts a podcast called The Ramon Foster Show. The show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports, is co-hosted by Dejan Kovacevic, a Pittsburgh Sports reporter.
Steelers Guard Ramon Foster Was Surprised By Troy Polamalu's Movie Reference
While most people would assume that his star-struck moment would come with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Foster said that wasn't true. He said he did not have the opportunity to interact with Roethlisberger much as a rookie. He said that surprisingly enough, it was a defensive player that had him speechless.
"The guy that got me was Troy [Polamalu]. He knew my name, he knew my name because we all did the intro and he remembered it."
Polamalu, who played strong safety for the Steelers for his entire 12-year career, helped Pittsburgh win two Super Bowls. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl player, a six-time All-Pro selection, Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame as a first-ballot player in 2020.
He is as well known for his gentle off-field demeanor and quiet reserved nature, as he is for his long-flowing tresses. Polamalu is a player who is almost entirely universally respected and admired, even fans from other teams have expressed how mind-blowing his gameplay is. Polamalu is consistently humble and gracious. On one episode of his podcast Footbahlin' With Ben Roethlisberger, Roethlisberger said he is one of the nicest mean guys you could ever meet.
"He's one of the kindest people you ever met and he is one of the most violent people you will ever meet on the football field. He would hit people and then apologize to them."
Foster then goes on to explain how Polamalu took his name, Ramon, and made reference to a kind of unique and obscure 1980s dance drama movie Beat Street.
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The movie Beat Street tells the story of young rapper Kenny "Double K Kirkland" (far right) and his best friend graffiti artist Ramon "Ramo" Franco (middle).
The movie tells the story of Kenny "Double K" Kirkland, an up-and-coming rapper and disc jockey, and his best friend, graffiti artist Ramon "Ramo" Franco. The movie, which helped launch the careers of several rappers including Kool Moe Dee and Doug E. Fresh, is full of rap battles and break dance competitions.
Sadly Ramon does not survive, falling victim to a tragic graffiti-related subway accident but Double K dedicates his breakthrough show to him and his life. The entire audience in the Roxy Theatre in New York City closes out by chanting, "Everybody Say, Ramo."
Foster said he was so surprised when that was the reference Polamalu used when meeting him for the first time.
"There's a movie, I think it was Beat Street, it was one of those dancing movies from the 80s and he (Polamalu) was like, 'Hey your name is Ramon' and I was like, 'yeah.' He's like, 'So like the movie? Where everybody says, everybody says Ramon?' and I was like, 'Hey man thank you' and at that point Troy has been golden."
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Pittsburgh Steelers iconic safety Troy Polamalu and his equally well-known hair.
Foster said the admiration did not end there. He said he always looked up to him, enough that he even asked him for a favor after he retired. He said Polamalu did not hesitate to help out.
"He was one of those guys after he retired I was like, 'Bro I never asked you as a teammate, can I have a signed jersey from you?' He actually had one and just sent it to me. I was like, 'I would have bought it.' But Troy was my one star-struck teammate."
What do you think about Troy Polamalu? Would he be your "star-struck" player or would it be another Steelers player? Are you old enough to remember Beat Street or have you seen the movie? Are you surprised that is what Polamalu used as a reference to recall Foster's name? Comment below.
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