CANTON, Ohio -- In the end, after lining up for nine seasons and all but battling him for Terry Bradshaw's unwavering attention, one of Lynn Swann's indelible memories of John Stallworth was a block, not a catch, he made in the 1975 AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders.
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Lynn Swann leans back in his chair to share a moment with former teammate John Stallworth yesterday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette) |
The Steelers came back to win that game, 16-10, on a touchdown run by Franco Harris to advance to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. And they did so in the second half without Swann, who had a concussion after a blow to head from Raiders cornerback George Atkinson.
"The field is a mess, there's ice everywhere, and Franco runs a sweep around the left side for the go-ahead touchdown that sends us to the Super Bowl," Swann said. "But the man who made that play was John Stallworth.
"John Stallworth cracked down from the left side and blocked two people -- a linebacker and a defensive back on one play. Franco went in the end zone because of John Stallworth. He's remarkable. There's nobody who could stand here with me that I'd have as much respect for as John Stallworth."
Stallworth played 14 seasons with the Steelers and caught more passes (537) for more yards (8,723) and more touchdowns (63) than any player in team history. Even more than the man he presented yesterday for induction in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- Swann, who became the 18th member of the Steelers' organization to be so enshrined.
It took Swann 14 years to gain induction. His career numbers were never the stuff of statistical glitz -- 336 catches, 5,462 yards, 51 touchdowns -- but it was the style, the grace, the manner in which he performed in big games that finally brought him to pro football's grandest stage.
But Swann hopes it doesn't take Stallworth that long to get into the Hall of Fame. Stallworth has been eligible for induction for nine years, but he has never made it to the final ballot.
"John definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame," Swann said. "John's the best wide receiver the Steelers ever had. His abilities, his attention to detail. Without John Stallworth, I could not be standing here. John brought out something in me, and I think I brought out something in John, that allowed us to capitalize on most every moment and opportunity we ever had."
Swann was a finalist three times, including this year, when he finally garnered enough votes to stand on the steps of the Hall of Fame with his fellow inductees -- former Miami Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti, the selection of the veterans committee; former Buffalo Bills Coach Marv Levy, the only coach to lose four Super Bowls in a row; former Penn State and Houston Oilers offensive guard Mike Munchak; former Los Angeles Rams teammates, offensive tackle Jackle Slater and defensive end Jack Youngblood; and former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Ron Yary.
If there are any more Steelers from the Super Bowl days of the 1970s to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Stallworth is the most likely candidate.
When ESPN announcer Chris Berman introduced Stallworth, the black-and-gold-clad Steelers fans among the estimated crowd of 12,000 stood and cheered wildly. A sign that said, "Stallworth in 2002" was held aloft.
"It feels like Three Rivers [Stadium] in here," Stallworth said.
But it was Swann who whipped them into a frenzy when he said, "If this is the greatest hour of my life, then I will tell you, at this moment, this is only a half hour. It will be the greatest hour when I can sit in that back row and John Stallworth is wearing a gold jacket, making this speech."
Stallworth was a fourth-round draft pick in 1974, the same year Swann was drafted on the first round out of Southern California. During the years they played together, Stallworth was the team's leading receiver twice -- in 1979, when he had 70 catches for 1,183 yards; and in 1981, when he had 63 catches for 1,098 yards.
But, because they were a run-oriented team with Franco Harris, the Steelers did not throw the ball much in the mid-1970s. That led to a competitive, sometimes contentious, relationship between Swann and Stallworth, each of whom lobbied to be Terry Bradshaw's prime target.
It wasn't until the final two Super Bowls -- in '78 and '79 -- that Bradshaw started opening the offense by throwing more frequently to Swann and Stallworth.
"I competed against one of the greatest wide receivers to play this game," Stallworth said. "Our individual competitiveness built a barrier between us. I thank God for giving me the time and Lynn the time to break down those barriers."
Stallworth's biggest performance came when he made two big catches -- one for a touchdown -- in a 31-19 victory against the Rams in Super Bowl XIV. Both plays came on the same pass pattern -- 82 Slot, Hook and Go -- a route designed specifically for Stallworth.
"John Stallworth, bless your heart, you went and caught a football that day no one else would have caught," Youngblood said during his acceptance speech. "Except for the guy he is presenting. You guys already had three [Super Bowl] rings. You could have let us have one."
Swann never compiled staggering numbers during his career (1974-82). He led the team in receiving five times, but the most catches he had in a season was 61 in '78. In '76, on what might have been the best of all the Steelers' teams, Swann had a team-high 28 catches.
Now, after landing his greatest prize, he is hoping Stallworth can make one more catch and join him in the Hall of Fame.
"If we're going to call someone the best and you think of me as being the best and I'm No. 1, then you have to broaden that thinking," Swann said. "There has to be a 1A and a 1AA. I'm not saying who's 1A, but John and I are 1A and 1AA, side by side."
New inductee Swann makes strong pitch for Stallworth 
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