You wouldn’t ordinarily expect to see a professional football player performing a tap-dancing duet with Gene Kelly. But Lynn Swann, former All-Pro wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers and star of four Super Bowls, started dancing before he started playing football; his mother enrolled him in dancing class when he was eight.
The grace and agility he acquired on the dance floor served him equally well on the football field, where one ecstatic television announcer dubbed him “The Baryshnikov of football!”
Swann’s successful career in the National Football League began in 1974, his first of many glory years with the Steelers. He was named to the All-Rookie Team that year, All-Pro the following year and Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl X the year after that. In 1981, he was selected NFL Man of the Year. In 2001, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early on, it became apparent that Swann’s days in the limelight would not end with the conclusion of his playing career. He launched an almost 30 year broadcasting career in 1976 with ABC Sports. He has broadcast a variety of events as host, reporter and analyst including the Olympic Games, the Kentucky Derby, Monday Night Football, and Wide World of Sports. Swann has also proven himself a versatile performer and guest star or host in many non-sports entertainment ventures.
Despite his commitments to sports and entertainment, Swann finds time to serve his community and his country. He was a candidate in the 2006 race for Governor of Pennsylvania and once served as chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports where he worked to promote health and fitness. He has served as national spokesman for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America since 1980 and has provided dozens of scholarships for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, among other philanthropic efforts. He also turned his success on the field into opportunities in the corporate world. Lynn currently sits on the board of directors for H.J. Heinz Company and Hershey Entertainment and Resorts.
Swann graduated with a degree in public relations from the University of Southern California where he was selected All-American and played in two Rose Bowl games.
Clearly, dancing class is not a bad way to begin your life’s work – especially if your name is Lynn Swann.
