Lousaka Polite stroked his beard and shook his head as his best friend, former Pitt teammate Penny Semaia, pulled a customized Chicago Bears jersey out from behind a Petersen Events Center office door.
The number? 39. The name on the back? Polite.
“Out of all the teams, he pulls out the one where I had the shortest stint and the least impact,” the former Pitt fullback said, unable to contain a smile. “He wore it to a staff meeting, too. Like, bro, what are you doing?”
Semaia was messing with his old college roommate. But even in an attempt to (slightly) embarrass Polite, the head of Pitt athletics’ Life Skills Program reminded everyone else in the office where Polite, his pal and co-worker, came from.
Polite, a Woodland Hills standout before donning the blue and gold, was named a captain as a redshirt sophomore, as voted on by his teammates. He reprised that role as a junior and senior, becoming the program’s first three-year captain.