Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers will certainly want to be around their televisions Friday night, or at the very least, make sure to program their DVRs in advance.
Below is a Wednesday press release from NFL Media that all Steelers fans will want to read along with a video trailer:
This season of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life concludes Friday, December 22 at 9:00 PM ET with a profile of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. The one-hour show produced by NFL Films features sitdown interviews with Stallworth and Swann, fellow Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mel Blount, Cris Carter and Mike Haynes, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth and more.
The wide receiving tandem of John Stallworth and Lynn Swann reached greater heights than any other duo in NFL history, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowl titles in six seasons. Swann and Stallworth: A Football Life examines how two wide receivers from different backgrounds came together to form such a strong bond both on and off the field, driven by a fierce competitive desire to be great.
Among the topics discussed in Stallworth & Swann: A Football Life are:
- Stallworth and Swann’s different backgrounds growing up and different styles of play
- The Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Swann in the first round and Stallworth in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL Draft
- Helping the Steelers win four Super Bowl titles in six years
- Swann’s decision to retire in 1982 to pursue a career in broadcasting with ABC
- Stallworth’s playing career following Swann’s retirement and his own post-football career
- Each being selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Emmy-nominated actor Josh Charles narrates.
Stallworth & Swann: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people and more:
John Stallworth
Lynn Swann
Terry Bradshaw – Hall of Fame quarterback
Mel Blount – Hall of Fame cornerback
Mike Haynes – Hall of Fame cornerback
Franco Harris – Hall of Fame running back
Cris Carter – Hall of Fame wide receiver
Cris Collinsworth – NFL analyst, NBC
Tunch Ilkin – Steelers teammate
Art Rooney, Jr. – Former Steelers scouting director
John Stallworth, Jr. – Stallworth’s son
Phil Villapiano – Former Raiders linebacker
Ed Rendell – Former Pennsylvania Governor
Provided below are some select quotes from Stallworth & Swann: A Football Life:
– “We’re from two different places, two different backgrounds and yet here we are today being able to tell that story.” – Lynn Swann
– “We were alike in that once we were on the field, we wanted to be the guy.” – John Stallworth
– “When you look at what they accomplished, I don’t think there was a better one-two combination in the game. If you had either one of them, you had a big-time receiver. We had both of them.” – Mel Blount
– “If there was one player after I became a wide receiver that I wanted to be like, it was Lynn Swann. The way he played with such grace and I loved the way he played the game off the ground.” – Cris Carter
– “You could just see that Terry Bradshaw believed that John Stallworth, when he needed it the most, was going to make a play.” – Cris Collinsworth
– “Were we competing for the same thing? Absolutely. Competing for the starting lineup, competing for the rare pass that Bradshaw was going to throw. The level of competition was just really high, so that was always a bit of a wall. Never anything prolonged.” – Lynn Swann
– “I never disliked Lynn or had any ill will toward him. I just wanted to prove I was as good or better than he was.” – John Stallworth
– “We used to refer to ourselves as the ‘Gamebreakers.’ We’re not going to get a lot of opportunities but if they throw us the ball, we believe we would break the game wide open and make the big play.” – Lynn Swann
– “John had had such a quietly successful life after football that maybe they needed to see John and hear from John, and understand how good and great John Stallworth really was.” – Lynn Swann on having John Stallworth be his Hall of Fame presenter
– “I’m honored to have been able to play with John but I’m more proud of the fact that we continue to call each other friends.” – Lynn Swann
– “We both had our day. We both were good for our organizations, for our team. And we were good for each other.” – John Stallworth
Personally, I cant wait to watch this one and especially being as I was a child of 70s. I actually met Swann after a Steelers preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons in 1980 at the age of 12. Set those DVRs now before you forget.
