The Pittsburgh Steelers have a storied history with plenty of Hall of Famers, with 32 in all. In the 1970s, the team won four Super Bowls, in big part due to their two high-flying, show-stopping wide receivers, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Despite the consistent high level of play from both Swann and Stallworth, both had to wait a while until they got inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Recently, Swann sat down with Joe Buck on Audiorama’s Undeniable with Joe Buck and discussed what it was like when he finally got elected to the Hall of Fame.
“So the phone never rang,” said Swann. “Never rang. So there’s no need to stand by the phone. So I got the TV on, and the guys were coming out saying, well, the Hall of Fame new class, he’s reading all this stuff. And he says my name, but I’m now so conditioned to thinking I’m not going in, I think he says, ‘Not in again, Lynn.’ I’m going like, did he say not in again, Lynn? I’m looking at the TV, so I’m waiting, I’m just waiting. I’m dumbfounded, I’m looking at the TV set. I waited until I saw it up graphically on the TV screen, and there was my name, ‘New class, 2001 Lynn Swan.’ Did I cry? Absolutely.”
Swann had to wait almost 20 years after he retired to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, retiring after the 1982 season and being inducted in 2001. Despite this, he finally got his well-deserved gold jacket. Swann finished his nine-year career as a four-time Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl MVP, and a one-time first-team All-Pro, with 336 catches for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns. For the 1970s and early 80s those are great numbers.
However, when Swann was voted into the Hall of Fame, his partner, Stallworth, was still waiting to hear his name called. So, because Swann wanted Stallworth to join him in the Hall of Fame, he had Stallworth introduce him at his ceremony and gave him a shoutout during his speech.
“I had John Stallworth present me because people had said that John and I were taking votes from each other,” said Swann. “People didn’t know. They said, well, ‘I think John should be in and Lynn’s here. I think John should be in. And Lynn,’ you know, all this stuff was going on. And so I asked John to introduce me to the Hall of Fame because I wanted people to see John…And I said in my speech that this is supposed to be a player’s finest hour. I said, for me, it’s only a half hour. I said it’ll be an hour when John Stallworth is elected to the Hall of Fame. And he got elected the next year.”
By 2002, both Swann and Stallworth were Hall of Famers and were both well deserving of it. Both won four Super Bowls and made clutch plays in them. Without Swann and Stallworth, the Steelers may not have won four rings and become the dynasty that they became. Both of them absolutely deserved to wear gold jackets, but if it wasn’t for Swann’s praise of Stallworth, how much longer would Stallworth have had to wait?
Retiring in 1987, Stallworth recorded 537 catches for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns. He finished his career as the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver and is still high on the list. He is fourth in receptions and third in yards. Like Swann, Stallworth played his career in the ’70s and ’80s when the league was not very wide receiver friendly, and the Steelers were very run-heavy. Despite this, he still put up incredible numbers.
Although both Swann and Stallworth waited a while, they both eventually received their much-deserved Hall of Fame inductions. Both played a huge part in the Steelers’ ’70s dynasty, and both were long overdue for their gold jackets.
