As Troy Fautanu walked around the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex just one day after he was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he was wearing a shirt that was all too familiar for him.
A Steelers polo shirt, sporting the logo of the team he always loved.
And it only got better. Fautanu was handed a bag filled with even more Steelers gear, and his eyes lit up like a kid a Christmas. Because for him, it was just that.
"Today, it's like Christmas and my birthday all in one," said Fautanu. "I am like a kid all over again. But obviously, as you can see, I'm a lot bigger than I was before.
"Every Christmas, every birthday, I always got some Steelers stuff. I had this dartboard that was in my room for the longest time. I had a hoodie that I wore in middle school all the time. And in college, for the years that I had my car, I had a Steelers license plate.
"Now, being a member of the Steelers, it's truly surreal. It's almost like it was meant to be. I'm just happy."
Fautanu grew up a Steelers fan, largely in part of his love and respect of Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, bucking the trend in the household where his father, Fautanu 'John' Fautanu was a San Francisco 49ers fan.
"I always tried to remind him and tell him, son, you know that you were born in the Bay area," his father said with a smile as he stared at the Steelers six Super Bowl trophies. "But to me, it wasn't much of anything. It's whatever team that he was happy with and all that. I didn't mind buying whatever he wanted for that team. But really, in my heart, I was still hoping and praying that he would say, dad, I'm a 49ers fan.
"But it turned out to be the Steelers he loved. And the crazy thing about it is, we never would have thought it would come to this point and the Steelers would draft him. It's a journey. I never had the idea of where he's going to be in life up until now and he ends up being here with the Steelers.
"We grew up in the name of God and everything and how our heavenly father works in a mysterious way in a lot of things that we go through in life, whether it's good or bad. It's a blessing that it ended up this way."
And blessings are something that have been abundant in Fautanu's life, but there isn't one that is greater than his family. He holds them tight in his heart, where his love for them is hard to hide.
"Without the people in my corner, I wouldn't be able to have the opportunities that I was presented with," said Fautanu. "My family has done so much in life to set me up to be successful. So, my biggest thing is wanting to give back, whether that's in love, whatever that may look like.
"It takes a village to raise a kid, just to raise anybody. And I did have that village behind me, and I've always had that village behind me. So, I take pride in showing them that love."
That love was on full display on draft night when he was surrounded by the ones he loves most. As he was on the phone with Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, he was flanked by both of his grandmothers, Amelia Fautanu and Maluapapa Lemalu, both who he lived with growing up, something that is a common part of the culture of Pacific Islanders, where church and family come first.
"I lived mostly with my dad's mom, but my mom's mom used to live with us as well," said Fautanu. "They've always been in my life. We always lived in the same state. And I've always had access to go see them whenever I wanted to. So, whenever I come back home, those are the first two people that I like to go see. They're not very good with technology, so I don't have the ability to text them or FaceTime. So, when I do show up there, they're very excited.
"They mean everything to me. Family means everything to me."
Touring the facility with his father, as well as his mother, Ma Fautanu, and sister, Tyramae Fautanu, he immediately felt that same family vibe from everyone he met in the Steelers organization, from ownership, to coaches to staff. And he welcomes it.
"It makes me more comfortable showing up and just being who I am," said Fautanu. "That's what has always been taught to me, to just be myself. The people that have raised me, raised me to be me. I feel like they've done a really great job of that. It makes me more confident showing up and being myself because I know that everyone around me is very similar in a way."
And aside from the family feeling, the biggest similarity that exists with Fautanu and his new team is the desire to add to the trophy case his dad was just admiring.
"Being able to play in a game like the National Championship back in college kind of made that want for a Super Bowl even greater," said Fautanu, who played in the National Championship game this past year with the University of Washington. "That hunger that I had trying to get to that game and not being able to win that game really drove me in this process. So, knowing that I'm a part of an organization that has experienced championships and that they know what it looks like, I'm just ready to contribute whatever I can and wherever I can to get another one."
Take a look at photos of the Steelers' first-round draft pick Troy Fautanu's tour around Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Arron Anastasia / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Arron Anastasia / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu tours Pittsburgh after the NFL Draft, Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
