Voted first-team All-America in 1985, Swilling left Georgia Tech as the all-time sack leader and now ranks 5th.
[2] The Saints fielded fierce defenses in 1991 and 1992, led by the best linebacker unit in the history of the league.
In 1992, linebackers Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson, Sam Mills, and Swilling, also known as the Dome Patrol, all played in the Pro Bowl, and the Saints led the league in quarterback sacks.
The Detroit Lions qualified for the playoffs in both of Swilling's seasons with the team, being eliminated each time, in the first round, by the Green Bay Packers.
[4][5] Swilling lost all six playoff games he played in; no other player in NFL history has more losses, in the postseason, without a win.
[9] Two of his sons, Bruce Jordan-Swilling and Tre Swilling, play on the Georgia Tech football team.