Gold Jacket Spotlight: Lynn Swann Possessed ‘Flair For The Spectacular’

As Paul Good penned in January 1978 in “Sport” magazine, Lynn Swann, brought to pro football a “flair for the spectacular.”

Lynn’s style and panache weren’t limited to on-field activities, and his talents are the subject of this week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight.

Formally trained in dance during his youth, Lynn melded those experiences with his football acumen to play collegiately at the University of Southern California and nine seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

“Swann may be the most aptly named player in the game,” sportswriter and former Hall of Fame Selector Vito Stellino wrote. “He is, quite simply, a swan. He all but preens on the field as he takes grateful strides. He is a ballet dance in cleats, a man who dazzles the crowd with his eye-catching moves.”

Prior to the 1974 NFL Draft, USC coach John McKay described Lynn as, “This guy here is one of the greatest competitors that I’ve ever had. He has uncanny jumping ability, and he has the ability to make the big plays at the big time.”

Steelers’ wide receiver coach Lionel Taylor’s pre-draft assessment was more direct. “The only thing I know about Swann is this: That sumbitch gets open and catches the football.”

USC coach John Robinson once told USC freshman Ronnie Lott, “Lynn would go anywhere on the field here to catch a ball. If you’re going to be like Lynn, not only do you need the desire, you need the competitive spirit.”

The 1974 NFL draft included five future Pro Football Hall of Famers, and Pittsburgh selected four of them. Lynn was the Steelers’ first selection in that draft followed by Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster. Undrafted free agent and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell also was signed in 1974.

Lynn developed a habit for winning, as Stellino noted, “Swann played in just seven losing football games in an incredible four-year stretch starting with his junior year in college and spanning his first two years in the pros.”

Included in Lynn’s first two years with the Steelers were a pair of Super Bowl championships (Super Bowls IX and X). He was selected as MVP in Super Bowl X after gaining 161 yards via four receptions, including a 64-yard touchdown connection with quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

“For a guy who’s had the great success he had in a short time,” Tom Moore, Steelers receivers coach said, “he still works out on things to improve himself. That’s his finest trait.”

Lynn considered retiring from football after his initial two seasons, expressing concerns for the violence of the game and pointing to a blow to his head by the Raiders’ George Atkinson. He played another seven seasons for the Steelers, however, before officially retiring after the 1982 season.

The Steelers also captured Super Bowl XIII and XIV with Lynn on the roster, providing Pittsburgh with four titles in a six-year span. 

“I would like to say that we developed Lynn Swann,” Steelers coach Chuck Noll said, “but the truth is, he was perfectly developed as a football player the first time he stepped out on our practice field.”

Bum Phillips, coach of the Steelers’ division rival Houston Oilers, was more succinct, observing, “There is no such thing as Lynn Swann dropping a pass.”

Lynn successfully and repeatedly engaged in off-field community activities. Those efforts were recognized with the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1981.

Educational television, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and National Big Brothers and Sisters were among the groups Lynn assisted. The off-field dedication prompted The Canton (Ohio) Repository to declare, “Swann scores as high in his community endeavors as he does on the NFL playing fields.”

In a Sports Illustrated article in 1979, Lynn mentioned, “I’ve always seen myself as put to music.” His melodic efforts resulted in enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.