 At age 14, he pitched for Long Beach in the PONY League, hurled a no-hitter, and was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium before Game 5 of the World Series; his pitch was televised and can be seen on the TV broadcast, with announcer Ray Scott describing his pitching exploits.At age 17, was picked in the 23rd round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.Rather than sign as a low-round pick, Swan attended Arizona State University.