Swann finally earns Hall pass; Former Steelers receiver, ex-coach Levy among seven elected.(The Dallas Morning News)

TAMPA, Fla._ Former Super Bowl MVP Lynn Swann worked out Saturday morning and when he returned to his hotel room, the message light wasn't blinking on his telephone.

It was past 11:30 a.m., and Swann knew what that meant. He had been passed over for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the 15th consecutive year. John Bankert, the executive director of the Hall, had told him the call would come by 11:30 a.m. when the press conference was scheduled.

But Swann didn't need the call from Bankert. If he had been elected, he knew his sons Shafer and Braxton would have called by now. No message light meant no call from his sons, either. So he phoned his wife Charena.

"It's not going to happen again this year," said Swann, who had become hardened by the annual disappointment. "Don't be disappointed. It'll be O.K."

Then Swann turned on the television to see who did make it. There was Bankert on the screen naming the inductees _ and, after opening an envelope, said, "Lynn Swann."

"I tried to take a deep breath to collect myself," Swann said. "But I couldn't. I cried."

Swann, one of the best big-game receivers in NFL history, heads up the seven-member Class of 2001. He's joined by offensive linemen Mike Munchak, Jackie Slater and Ron Yary, defensive end Jack Youngblood, linebacker Nick Buoniconti and coach Marv Levy.