Getty Lynn Swann and Donnie Shell will participate in a new Hall of Fame residency program.
Two Pittsburgh Steelers greats are scheduled to host week-long residencies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in spring 2024.
In a release on March 28, the Hall of Fame said Donnie Shell and Lynn Swann will participate in the new program.
Guests of honor will serve as guides through the Hall of Fame museum, greeting visitors and sharing stories from their time in the NFL.
“I have observed time and again that when a Hall of Famer is present, the atmosphere becomes more exciting, more engaging and more inspiring,” said Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in a statement.
Both Shell and Swann are four-time Super Bowl winners with the Steelers during the 1970s. They are both members of the famous 1974 class that included five Hall of Famers. The Steelers drafted with the 21st overall pick, while the team signed Shell as an undrafted free agent.
Shell was a safety and a member of the Steel Curtain defense. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons and named team MVP in 1980. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Swann is considered one of the best receivers in Steelers history. He was named MVP in Super Bowl X and was selected to three Pro Bowls. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Hall of Fame Launches New Residency Program
Shell and Swann are two of 28 former players participating in the Hall of Fame’s new residency program.
According to a release, each Hall of Famer will be in Canton, Ohio for a week.
Along with interacting with guests at the museum, participants will expand their residency to the Northeast Ohio region. Activities will include visits to local schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations and hospitals.
The Hall of Fame says each participant will “bring his own twist to his residency.”
The new residency program will begin April 3 with former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler. It will run through November.
Tim Brown, Joe DeLamielleure and Joe Klecko also confirmed they are participating.
It’s not clear when Shell and Swann will host their residencies.
The Hall Honors the Steelers Routinely
The Hall of Fame’s new residency program isn’t the first time the museum put a brighter spotlight on the Steelers.
It also launched team-specific exhibits earlier this year, starting with the Steelers.
A Legacy Forged in Black and Gold honored the 50th anniversary of the team’s transformational 1974 season. It began with the famous draft class that included Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster, along with Shell as an undrafted free agent. It ended with the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
When the Hall of Fame announced the exhibit on January 10, Porter said it made sense for the Steelers to be the first in the series.
“Knowing that this is the 50th anniversary of the year that changed the franchise forever, it seemed fitting for the Steelers to be the first team honored this way – with many more special exhibits to come as the Hall continues to look for ways to celebrate the greatest players, coaches, contributors and teams in the game,” Porter said, via the Hall of Fame’s website.
The exhibit was scheduled to run February 16-19, but the Hall of Fame extended it through February 25 due to popular demand.
The exhibit included all Steelers Super Bowl trophies and rings, Hall of Fame busts and dozens of other pieces of memorabilia.