In the search for a new athletics director, USC needed to find someone capable of providing a strong guiding voice, is able to communicate effectively with the media and fans and warm the hearts of the donors with deep pockets. They may have found the right man for the job in Lynn Swann.

USC announced today the hiring of Swann as the new athletics director. Swann is both a Pro Football Hall of Famer and College Football Hall of Famer. A three-time Pro Bowl receiver, four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a consensus All-American in 1973 with USC, there is no denying USC has managed to find a character that brings respect both on and off the field.

If there is any reason to be concerned about USC’s latest hire, it may be that Swann is still a member of the Trojan family. It is not always a bad way to go about hiring an athletics director, because you do want someone who has a strong understanding of how the university and sports department operate and the philosophies that go into that operation. The reason for concern is USC’s latest problems seem to have developed from trusting the USC family too much in its hiring decisions. Whether or not Swann follows that track record as Pat Haden, the man he succeeds in the position, remains to be seen. regardless, USC could have done far worse in hring a respected personality for the job.

After his wildly successful football career was put to rest, Swann became a popular sideline reporter with ABC. After retiring from football in 1983, Swann worked in the corporate world with a number of respected companies like Heinz, Hershey and Wyndham International. He joined the ABC Sports team, which he had previously been contributing to in his off time, and stayed a part of ABC’s team until 2006, when he decided to dip his toes in the world of politics with a run for the governor’s chair in Pennsylvania. He would eventually lose his campaign bid (against incumbent and former Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell, who currently hosts Philadelphia Eagles post-game cable TV shows in Philadelphia) but he w]has remained active in the political game by offering his support where needed.

Now he returns to the sports world as AD of one of the top athletic programs in the country. He does so at a critical time, and his voice will be one many pay close attention to as he brings us his thoughts on the state of the game and makes key decisions for USC moving forward.

[Photo: USC Twitter]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.