LOS ANGELES – New USC athletic director Lynn Swann didn’t campaign for the job. In fact, he hadn’t even considered it until approached by university president Max Nikias, but the former football player, broadcaster and political candidate called it a pretty perfect fit during his introductory news conference Thursday morning at the McKay Center.
Nikias said Swann, despite no previous experience in athletic administration, was chosen to replace the retiring Pat Haden from a field of seven “serious” candidates that included sitting athletic directors and NFL front-office executives.
“I was not expecting this, but it seemed to fit in so many ways,” said Swann, a star receiver at USC before becoming a Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl champion with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.