TAMPA, Fla. -- Fourteen frustrating years of dashed hopes, of friends and family, fans and former Steelers teammates and coaches telling him to keep the faith, came bubbling over the moment Lynn Swann learned yesterday of his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"They made the announcement, I heard my name and tried to take a deep breath," Swann said. "But then I cried."
The long wait has ended. Swann, who set an unofficial record with 13 consecutive appearances among the final 15 candidates, made it on his 14th try. He was elected as part of the seven-man Class of 2001 that will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer in Canton, Ohio.
"I appreciate the fact that while it may have taken me 14 years and while that may have been difficult, maybe it will make me appreciate it more to be in the Hall of Fame," Swann said during the announcement in downtown Tampa.
It's hard to believe any of the seven new members could have appreciated it more than Swann. His eyes were red and still watery as he spoke about it an hour after he learned of his selection while working out at the Wyndham Hotel.
"You just don't know what an honor it is to be here after 14 years," he said. "I've seen guys at the podium [in Canton]; I introduced Franco [Harris]. I've seen guys cry and I said, no that won't be me. I cried all the way over here."
 | |
| | HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2001 Lynn Swann
Wide receiver ... 1974-82 Steelers ... Nine seasons, 115 games ... No. 1 draft pick (21st overall), 1974 ... Became a regular wide receiver his second season and responded with 49 catches for 781 yards and league-high 11 touchdowns ... Finished season by winning MVP honors in Super Bowl X with 161 yards gained on four receptions ... Included was a 64-yard winning catch ... Finished career with 336 receptions for 5,462 yards, 51 touchdowns ... All-Pro, 1975, '77, '78, All-AFC three times ... Played in three Pro Bowls.
Nick Buoniconti
Linebacker ... 1962-68 Boston Patriots, 1969-74, '76 Miami Dolphins ... 14 seasons, 183 games ... Was Dolphins MVP in 1969 ... After AFL-NFL merger was named to two more Pro Bowls, 1973 and '74 ... During seven seasons with Dolphins, team made three consecutive Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowls VI, VII, VIII), winning two.
Marv Levy
Coach ... 1978-82 Kansas City Chiefs, 1986-97 Buffalo Bills ... Regular season record: 143-112-0 ... Postseason record: 11-8-0 ... Overall record: 154-120-0 ... Ranked 10th in NFL history at the time of his retirement ... Set a new standard for NFL head coaches when he took Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls ... Guided Bills to playoffs in eight of 11 seasons.
Mike Munchak
Guard ... 1982-93 Houston Oilers ... 12 seasons, 159 games ... Selected by Houston in the first round (8th player overall) of 1982 NFL draft ... Named All-Pro four times, All-AFC seven times and selected to play in nine Pro Bowls.
Jackie Slater
Tackle ... 1976-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams ... 20 seasons, 259 games ... Retired tied for third most seasons played in NFL history ... Was first- or second-team All-Pro choice five seasons and first- or second-team All-NFC choice seven times ... Earned seven Pro Bowl berths (1984, 1986-91).
Ron Yary
Tackle ... 1968-81 Minnesota Vikings, 1982 Los Angeles Rams ... 15 seasons, 207 games ... Missed only two games with injuries (broken ankle, 1980) ... All-Pro, 1971, '72, '73, '74, '75, '76 ... Played in seven Pro Bowls, 1972-78 ... Starting right tackle in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, XI.
Jack Youngblood
Defensive end ... 1971-84 Los Angeles Rams ... 14 seasons, 202 games ... 20th player selected, first round, 1971 draft ... Played 201 consecutive games, a Rams record ... Missed only one game in 14 years ... All-Pro in 1974, '75, '76, '78, '79 ... Played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls, 1974-80. | | |
| |
Dan Rooney, the Steelers' president, cried with him and said he became more emotional about Swann's selection than he was about his own last year.
"I couldn't be more pleased," Rooney said. "Now, it's all great that he's in. I really was concerned that I didn't want to be in here in place of him. Now, it's complete.
"It was more emotional than I was for myself. I thought this one should have been a lock. I felt he belonged here when he was first eligible."
Joining Swann in the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame class are guard Mike Munchak of the Houston Oilers, offensive tackles Jackie Slater of the Rams and Ron Yary of the Minnesota Vikings, linebacker Nick Buoniconti of the Patriots and Dolphins, defensive end Jack Youngblood of the Rams and Coach Marv Levy, whose Buffalo Bills won four AFC championships in a row but no Super Bowls.
One name missing was John Stallworth, Swann's fellow receiver during the 1970s, when the Steelers won their four Super Bowls. Stallworth has been a finalist the past seven seasons. He made the list of the final 10 candidates yesterday.
"John deserves to be there," Swann said. "I wish John Stallworth would have been here being interviewed at the same time."
Now that he's in the Hall of Fame, Swann said he can take a more active roll in lobbying for Stallworth's election.
For years, Swann's relatively short playing career and the fact he did not compile overwhelming receiving statistics held him back.
But what made him a finalist 14 times -- including three appearances among the six finalists in the past four years -- is what put him over the top. He was one of the game's big-play receivers in the regular season and in the Super Bowl. He was MVP of Super Bowl X. Comparisons were made between him and former Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, who played just seven seasons and compiled only 4,956 yards rushing. Like Sayers, Swann played the game spectacularly before injuries ended his career prematurely.
Swann, 5-11 and 180, caught 336 passes for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns. His ratio of one touchdown for every 6.6 receptions is among the best in NFL history.
"Nobody played better in big games, and that's the mark of a great player," said former Steelers coach Chuck Noll. "If we threw the ball a lot more, he could easily have as many catches as other players who are in the Hall of Fame."
Swann tried to steel himself against the disappointment of not making it again.
"You have to make yourself believe that, mentally, to get through it," he said.
He saw Jack Ham, his Sewickley neighbor, make it on his first try in 1988, which also was Swann's first year of eligibility and the first of 14 appearances in the final 15. He saw Jack Lambert, drafted by the Steelers in the same year (1974), go in on his first try in 1990. Franco Harris selected him to introduce him for his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 1990.
During past announcements of a new class, Swann would deal with other matters. He would take a walk, play golf or busy himself with his duties for ABC-TV. Yesterday, he worked out at his hotel.
Many of his teammates talked to him beforehand to encourage him, which, he said, was typical of the Steelers of the 1970s.
"That's a memory of that team that they'll always be there for you," Swann said. "They're great people, not just great athletes. Those teammates, Dan Rooney, Chuck Noll, the people of Pittsburgh kind of kept me propped up, saying 'Hey, you need to be there.' "
He also thanked broadcaster Myron Cope, who for years made an impassioned plea as the Pittsburgh representative on the 38-man Hall of Fame board of selectors for Swann's election. Cope resigned from those duties in 1995, in part out of frustration that Swann could not get in, something Swann said wore Cope down.
Swann became the eighth Steelers player from those Super Bowl teams to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 10th member of the organization to make it since then.
They include Ham, Lambert, Harris, Noll, Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Mike Webster and Dan Rooney. Art Rooney, the team's founder and Dan's father, was elected in 1964.
Among other Steelers in the Hall of Fame are Johnny "Blood" McNally, Bill Dudley, Walt Kiesling, Bobby Layne, Ernie Stautner and John Henry Johnson.
Noll and Rooney took a more active part in quietly lobbying for Swann's election this year. They had shied away from it in the past because it was not their way and because they believed Swann and Stallworth were equally deserving of election.
But Swann had surpassed Stallworth the past several years with his appearances among the final six candidates, and it became apparent that one had to be selected before the other would ever make it.
Now that Swann's in, it might break the ice for Stallworth to follow.
"Without him, we would not have had four Super Bowl rings," Blount said of Swann. "If there is such a thing as a Hall of Fame receiver, Lynn Swann is it."
At long last, it has become official.
At last, Swann makes Hall of Fame 
E-mail this story 
