Staff Report
He was dubbed “The Blond Polamalu” during his high school career — an ode to former Pittsburgh Steelers great Troy Polamalu, a hard-hitting safety who was beloved in the Steel City during his NFL career, which lasted from 2003 to 2014.
Donovan Linthicum has a long way to go to match Polamalu’s success, but on the high school football field the bruising linebacker/running back brought the kind of attitude and toughness that any Pittsburgh fan would appreciate.
A linebacker by trade, Linthicum didn’t mind carrying the ball on offense one bit — it just gave him more opportunities to put a hit on somebody. He plowed over defenders to the tune of 1,200+ yards during his three-year varsity career at Oakcrest, scoring 15 touchdowns along the way.
On defense, however, is where Linthicum had the most impact. Quite speedy for his 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame, he made it tough for opposing offenses to run the ball — either inside or outside. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore after transferring from St. Augustine Prep and finished the year with 122 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and for his career Linthicum racked up 323 tackles, including 57 for loss, to go along with 9.5 sacks.
To say Falcons coach Mike Forest has some big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball is an understatement!
— Staff Writer Dave O’Sullivan
