Dick LeBeau: ‘Dream Come True’ for Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu to Be Enshrined in Hall of Fame

One former Steelers defensive legend will be leading another into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio this August.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, part of the hall’s Class of 2020, has chosen longtime Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to introduce him at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Polamalu announced this week.

LeBeau, who played cornerback for the Detroit Lions before his lengthy coaching career, is also a member of the Hall of Fame, and was inducted in 2010 while coaching Polamalu.

“Troy was a dream come true to coach and it’s a tremendous honor and a dream come true to call him a fellow Hall of Famer,” LeBeau said to Steelers.com after Polamalu was elected.

LeBeau coached plenty of talented players in his over-four decade career as an NFL coach, but said that Polamalu stood out from that crowd as a special player.

“I think the good Lord made only one Troy and I am very thankful he placed him in our lives, that being mine and the Pittsburgh Steelers,” LeBeau said. “He’s a once in a generational player. There won’t be another safety like him in another 100 years.”

Polamalu is one of XX Steelers being inducted this offseason. Scout Bill Nunn was posthumously enshrined in a private ceremony in April. Polamalu, fellow safety Donnie Shell and head coach Bill Cowher are part of the Class of 2020, while Nunn and guard Alan Faneca are part of the Class of 2021.

The Class of 2020’s enshrinement ceremony was postponed to this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2020 will be enshrined on Aug. 7, with the Class of 2021 following a day later. The Steelers will play the first game of the 2021 season in the Hall of Fame game against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 5.