| |  Thursday, August 23, 2001
Swann's induction well-deserved
By Dan Fouts
Special to ABC Sports Online
I played against Lynn Swann in high school, against him in college and against him in the pros.
In high school, he was a one-man team, on what already was a good team at Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. Back then, he was a two-way player -- wide receiver and safety. As a safety, he used to pick off my passes all the time.
|  | | Catches like this one in Super Bowl XIV epitomized Lynn Swann's career. |
Swannie was a gamebreaker, and he did it with style and class. He was a graceful athlete with a tremendous sense of timing. He always seemed to make the important catch when the game was hanging in the balance.
I knew he'd be a great player in the National Football League because he's been a winner wherever he's gone. His high school team was a winning program, at Southern California he won a national championship in 1972, and professionally, he was part of the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the mid-'70s and won the MVP in Super Bowl X.
I'd say that's a prolific career.
Swann retired in 1982 after a nine-year career. Some may say that his career was short, but I think any great player's career is too short, whether it's five years, 10 years or 20 years. Whenever you have a great player, you want to see him play for as long as he possibly can. I would have liked to see Lynn play a little longer, but it's such an individual decision for all of us. He left the game when he thought it was best for him.
As for where Lynn Swann ranks among the all-time great wide receivers, he's in the Hall of Fame. That's how you rank players. He had a Hall of Fame career.
I'm real proud of having known him for as long as I have. It's hard to believe it's been 35 years. When you've played against someone that long, it's special to see him finally end up on your own team.
Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts is an analyst on Monday Night Football and is a regular contributor to MondayNightFootball.com.
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ABC's Melissa Stark talks with Lynn Swann at the NFL Pro Bowl.