A Day of Cheers, Tears in Canton

More than two decades as a broadcaster and corporate executive have rounded Nick Buoniconti into a savvy public speaker.

But, in a made-for-TV moment at the end of his Hall of Fame induction speech Saturday, the former Miami Dolphin linebacker motioned to his son, a quadriplegic, and struggled to keep his composure.

“I would trade this Super Bowl ring in and all my accomplishments if one thing could happen in my lifetime,” he said. “My son, Marc, dreams that he walks. And, as a father, I’d like nothing more than to walk by his side.”

He then turned, leaned down and kissed his son, who was paralyzed from the neck down after making a tackle for The Citadel in 1985. He made his father’s presentation speech from a motorized wheelchair fitted with a device that allows him to navigate by blowing into a straw.

Later, former Ram tackle Jackie Slater choked out thank yous to his wife and children while dabbing his eyes with a towel and joking he was overcome by allergies, not emotions.

Those were two of the more poignant moments in a sweltering, three-hour ceremony that drew a crowd of 15,000--among them a record 400 friends and family members of former Houston Oiler guard Mike Munchak--to watch the induction of Jack Youngblood, Ron Yary, Marv Levy, Lynn Swann, Slater, Munchak and Buoniconti.

“Someone asked me if I’m savoring the moment,” Swann said. “No, I’m not savoring the moment, I’m sucking it dry.”

The induction of Munchak, Slater and Yary marked the first time three offensive linemen have entered the Hall of Fame the same year.

“There are not a lot of stats that an offensive linemen can accumulate,” said Slater, who blocked for seven 1,000-yard rushers in his 20-year career. “We’re the rank-and-file guys. We’re the support players. But I like to think we’re the ultimate team players.”

Levy, the most successful coach in Buffalo history, led the Bills to eight trips to the playoffs, six AFC East titles and an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowl berths. The Bills lost all four.

In his speech, Levy recalled telling his father he wanted to drop out of Harvard law school to become a football coach.

“Thirty seconds of painful silence followed,” he said. “Then the old Marine said, ‘Be a good one.’ I hope I haven’t disappointed him.”

Like Levy, Yary failed to come away with a Super Bowl ring in four tries. He used his typical self-effacing wit when asked if any current NFL linemen play the way he did.

“I hope they don’t,” he said. “I had the worst techniques in football. I had the worst stance, the worst techniques. I just played it from my gut feeling. I didn’t try to follow the rhythms and the things that they coach you. I played the game out of love. I did what was most comfortable for me. So I’m certainly not a standard for anyone to follow.”

Drafted No. 1 out of USC in 1968, Yary anchored the Minnesota Viking offensive line for 14 seasons and was named all-pro six times.

“He wanted the play to go over him and he made no bones about it,” said John Michaels, the longtime Viking assistant coach who made Yary’s introduction speech.

Swann, who played at USC after Yary, waited 14 years to be inducted. He was serenaded by chants of “Swanny, Swanny!” by dozens of fans who made the two-hour drive from the Pittsburgh area. Fellow Steeler receiver John Stallworth introduced Swann and ribbed him about taking ballet lessons as a youngster.

In his speech, Swann confided he was named Lynn because he was the youngest of three boys and his mother wanted a girl.

“You try leaving football practice with a pair of tights and the name Lynn, at an all-boys’ school,” he said with a smile. “You’d learn some moves pretty quick.”

Youngblood spent 14 seasons with the Rams and played in a team-record 201 consecutive games. Even a broken left leg couldn’t keep him out of the 1979 NFC championship game and Super Bowl XIV.

“I played the game with a passion, it was more like a love affair,” he said. “I didn’t sack the quarterback every time. I didn’t make every tackle for loss. But it wasn’t because I didn’t have the passion to. I hope that showed when I played.”