Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu is headed into another Hall of Fame. The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, this time.
Kemoeatu, who spent seven seasons with the Steelers from 2005-11 and won two Super Bowls, is part of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, along with former Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jim Nicholson, and BYU head coach Kilane Sitaki.
In Pittsburgh, Kemoeatu was a key piece along the offensive line on the Super Bowl XLIII-winning team. He also earned a Super Bowl ring as a backup on the Super Bowl XL team.
Across seven seasons, Kemoeatu played in 75 games with the Steelers, starting 53 games with another seven starts in the playoffs.
The Steelers selected Kemoeatu in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Utah. He developed as a backup along the interior of the offensive line before stepping into the starting lineup in place of Hall of Famer Alan Faneca in 2008 after Faneca signed with the New York Jets in free agency.
Kemoeatu is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class due to his Tongan ancestry. He becomes the third former Steelers player inducted into the Polynesian Hall of Fame, along with safety Troy Polamalu, who was inducted in 2016, and 2018 inductee Kimo von Oelhoffen. Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was the Polynesian Player of the Year in 2018.
Prior to being part of the Class of 2025 for the Polynesian Hall of Fame, Kemoeatu was also inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. At Utah, Kemoeatu was an All-American in the 2004 season when the Utes went undefeated.
Founded in 2013 by two Super Bowl champions in former 49ers All-Pro center Jesse Sapolu and former Broncos defensive end Ma’a Tanuvasa, the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame recognizes the greatest coaches and players of Polynesian descent.
