Lynn Swann waited nearly 20 years before the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee deemed him worthy of the NFL's ultimate distinction in 2001.
John Stallworth, his running mate with the Pittsburgh Steelers, got in the next year. Stallworth was a finalist eight times before Hall of Fame voters finally signed off on his inclusion.
Ron Yary went through the process six times before the call came from Canton, Ohio. Carl Eller, one of Minnesota's fabled "Purple People Eaters," was a 13-time finalist until the votes added up in his favor.
It's a complicated, convoluted procedure, and it works on no one's timetable but its own. On Saturday in Miami, a field of 17 finalists will be trimmed to six. Anywhere from three to six of those men will be selected. The others will have to wait some more.
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders punter Ray Guy is a man whose time has finally come. Voters who dismiss his chances out of hand because of the position he played need to wake up and get past their own preconceived, antiquated ideas about credentials for admission.
Guy is a finalist for the sixth time, and the first time since 2002. He knows the drill.
"If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," Guy said from his home in Thomsen, Ga. "I hope I'll be the first (punter), yes. I get excited about it. As long as they're still talking about you, you're flattered. Whether it's me or someone down the road, it needs to happen someday."
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Ray Guy belongs in Hall of Fame
