Meet the Hall of Fame Class of 2001

— -- On Saturday, Aug. 4, the 2001 class will be inducted into the Pro FootballHall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The seven-member class will bring the totalnumber of pro football heroes enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 211.

Nick BuonicontiLinebacker. Boston Patriots 1962-'68, Miami Dolphins 1969-'74, '76.The facts: Played in five AFL All-Star games with the Patriots and one withMiami after his 1969 trade. ... Was Dolphins' MVP in '69. ... FollowingAFL-NFL merger, was named to two more Pro Bowls, in '73 and '74. ... Duringseven seasons with Miami, the Dolphins made three consecutive Super Bowlappearances (VI, VII, VIII). Miami won two of those, including after itsundefeated season in '72. ... Recorded 32 career interceptions. ... Will bepresented by his son, Marc Buoniconti.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Buoniconti was a guy who the NFL thought was too small.But Mike Holovak, who was putting together the Boston Patriots at the time,had an uncanny knack for finding undersized, wrong-sized players for the NFLwho would turn into tremendous players for him. Later on in (Buoniconti's)career, he was traded to the Dolphins and was the catalyst of the 'No-NameDefense.' Buoniconti never really was big enough. He did not haveexceptional speed, but he had exceptional quickness, exceptional reactionspeed, exceptional instincts and, unlike most linebackers his size, he wasable to see things. Somehow, he would see through the forest, whereas mostlinebackers his size had areas where they just couldn't see. Plus, he was atremendous on-the-field leader."

Marv LevyCoach. Kansas City Chiefs 1978-'82, Buffalo Bills 1986-'97.The facts: Overall record was 154-120-0. ... Ranked 10th in NFL history atthe time of his retirement. ... Left Chiefs following the 1982strike-shortened season. ... Set a new standard for NFL head coaches when heled the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. ... Guided Buffalo toplayoffs in eight of 12 seasons. ... NFL Coach of the Year in '88. ... Willbe presented by former Bills and current Colts GM Bill Polian.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Levy was the ultimate professional coach. He was anextremely bright man, yet he had an uncanny knack to interact and getthrough to all of his players. He also was one of the most adaptable coachesin the league. When he came in, he used a wing-T offense in Kansas Citybecause he didn't have receivers, he had runners, and he didn't have anoffensive line that could pass block. Yet, when he went to Buffalo, he wentto one of the most wide-open offenses in the game because it fit Jim Kellythe best. (Levy) had a great ability to fit the scheme to what his playersdid best, instead of the other way around. He also was very fundamentallyand technically sound and was one of the first coaches in the league torealize the value special teams had, and that special teams were really onethird of the game. When he was with the Bills, their special teams werealways one of the best in the league."

Mike MunchakOffensive guard. Houston Oilers 1982-'93.The facts: Selected by Houston in the first round (eighth overall) of the1982 NFL draft. ... Earned starting OLG spot as a rookie. ... Played in 159games in his 12 NFL seasons. ... Considered a devastating blocker, Munchakwas the key to an offensive line that kept the Oilers at or near the top ofthe NFL's offensive statistical categories. ... Behind the Munchak-led line,the Oilers led the NFL in total offense in '90 and passing offense in '90and '91. ... The Oilers finished second in points scored in '90 and totaloffense in '91. ... Was equally effective as pass and run blocker, as teamfinished fourth in the NFL in '93 in both average gain per rushing play (4.4yards) and average gain per offensive play (5.3 yards). ... In '88, Munchackled a line that gave up only 24 sacks, third-best in the league. ... NamedAll-Pro four times, All-AFC seven times and selected to play in the Pro Bowlnine times. ... Will be presented by Titans OL Bruce Matthews.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Just a devastating run blocker. He and Bruce Matthewsmay have been the best set of guards ever to play the game. Matthews hasplayed longer, played more positions and gotten more publicity, but as apure guard, Munchak may have been even better and was the more explosive ofthe two. He was very similar to John Hannah but never got the hype Hannahgot."

Jackie SlaterOffensive tackle. Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams 1976-'95.The facts: Selected in third round (86th overall) of 1976 draft. ... Playedin 259 games in 20 seasons. ... Retired tied for third-most seasons playedin NFL history. ... His 259 regular-season games played were the most by anoffensive lineman at the time of his retirement. ... Was first- orsecond-team All-Pro choice five seasons and first- or second-team All-NFCchoice seven times. ... Known for his work ethic and leadership skills. ...Earned seven Pro Bowl berths ('84, '86-'91). ... A powerful drive blocker,Slater played in front of 24 different quarterbacks and 37 different runningbacks. ... A total of 27 Rams quarterbacks passed for 300-plus yards in agame with Slater as a blocker. ... In '83, the Rams' offensive line alloweda league-low 23 sacks, while Eric Dickerson rushed for a rookie record 1,808yards. ... Appeared in 18 playoff games. ... Named USA Today Lineman of theYear three times. ... Will be presented by John Robinson, head coach of theRams from 1983-'91.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Slater was one of the most durable, dependable,technically sound offensive linemen in the NFL. He was a guy who worked veryhard during the offseason to improve every year. The Rams stole him inRound Three."

Lynn SwannWide receiver. Pittsburgh Steelers 1974-'82.The facts: First-round draft pick (21st overall) in 1974. ... Used primarilyon punt returns as a rookie. ... Saw limited action at wide receiver late inhis rookie season, and his TD catch against Oakland in the AFC championshipproved to be the game-winner. ... Had 41 punt returns for 577 yards, onetouchdown and a 14.1-yard average as a rookie. ... Became a regular widereceiver in his second NFL season, catching 49 passes for 781 yards and aleague-high 11 touchdowns. ... Finished his second season by winning MVPhonors in Super Bowl X for catching four passes for 161 yards, including the64-yard, game-winning TD catch. ... Finished career with 336 receptions for5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns. ... Scored 318 points on 53 touchdowns. ...All-Pro in '75, '77, '78. ... Appeared in three Pro Bowls. ... Will bepresented by former Steelers WR John Stallworth.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Lynn Swann is the one I have a slight question about,especially going in over John Stallworth. Swann had three or four years inthe middle of his career when he was absolutely brilliant, and he had themagnificent Super Bowl catches and game. Except he wasn't a long-term playeror an exceptionally durable player, and at the beginning of his career, hewas basically a backup and a rotating receiver. At the end, he was hurt anawful lot."

Ron YaryOffensive tackle. Minnesota Vikings 1968-'81, Los Angeles Rams 1982.The facts: The Vikings used bonus pick acquired in Fran Tarkenton trade withthe Giants to select Yary first in 1968. ... Two-year consensus All-Americaat USC. ... Winner of the '67 Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation's topcollege lineman. ... Had speed, agility, intelligence, aggressiveness andstrong work ethic. ... Very durable, as he missed only two games because ofinjury. ... Military forced him to miss first three games of the '69 season.... Took over as right tackle at midseason of '69 ... All-Pro in '71, '72,'73, '74, '75, '76. ... Played in seven Pro Bowls, from 1972-'78. ...Starting right tackle in Super Bowls IV, VII, IX and the '69, '73, '74, '76and '77 NFL/NFC championships. ... Was traded to the Rams for a 10th-rounddraft pick in '82. ... Played in eight games for the Rams in '82, his finalNFL season. ... Appeared in 207 games during his 15-year career. ... Will bepresented by John Michels, Vikings assistant coach from 1968-'93.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Ron Yary was a long-time very good offensive lineman.He was the No. 1 pick in the draft. He may have been a little bit overhypedat times. He wasn't quite as good, I don't think, overall as Dan Dierdorf,Art Shell and those players. He was good, but he generally would lose hislegendary battles with Jack Youngblood."

Jack YoungbloodDefensive End. Los Angeles Rams 1971-'84.The facts: Played in 202 games during 14-year NFL career. ... Backed upsuperstar Deacon Jones at left end as rookie before becoming a regular inhis third pro season. ... One of NFL's most rugged, determined and durableplayers. ... A dominant defender, Rams' perennial sack leader. ... Played in201 consecutive games, a Rams record. ... Missed just one game in 14 years.... Was Rams' defensive captain. ... Fractured left fibula in '79first-round playoff game, was fitted with a plastic brace, then played everydefensive down in the NFC title game and Super Bowl XIV. ... Played in fiveNFC championship games. ... All-Pro in '74, '75, '76, '78 and '79. ...All-NFC seven times. ... Played in seven straight Pro Bowls from 1974-'80.... Three-time winner of Dan Reeves Award, which is presented to the Rams'MVP. ... Will be presented by former Rams DL Merlin Olsen.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Youngblood to me was the all-time warrior andcompetitor. You just couldn't get this guy off the field. He'd play in agame with a broken leg. He was one of the great, underrated defensive endsin the game. He never really got the publicity he deserved. But in theannals of Rams football, aside from Deacon Jones, he probably was the bestdefensive end they ever had."

Material from Pro Football Weekly.Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com