John Lynch (American football)

For other people named John Lynch, see John Lynch (disambiguation).

John Lynch

Lynch at the 2007 Pro Bowl
No. 47
Strong Safety
Personal information
Date of birth: September 25, 1971 (1971-09-25)
Place of birth: Hinsdale, Illinois
Career information
College: Stanford
NFL Draft: 1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
Debuted in 1993 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last played in 2007 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993–2003) Denver Broncos (2004–2007) New England Patriots (2008)* *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
9× Pro Bowl selection (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) 4× All-Pro selection (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) Super Bowl champion (XXXVII) NFL Alumni Defensive Back of the Year (2000) Bart Starr Man of the Year Award (2006) "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year (2006)
Tackles	1,058
Sacks	13.0
Interceptions	26
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

John Terrence Lynch, Jr. (born September 25, 1971) is a former National Football League strong safety and current NFL on Fox color commentator. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford.

A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Lynch earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. He also spent time with the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots before retiring as a free agent during the 2008 season. He was ranked #10 as the most feared tackler in NFL history, on the NFL Films production "Top 10 Most Feared Tacklers", for the NFL Network, a list shared with the likes of Dick Butkus, Jack Tatum, Ronnie Lott, and Jack Lambert.

Early years

Lynch was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. He attended Torrey Pines High School in the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area of San Diego, California, where he also played baseball and basketball.

College career

Lynch starred in baseball and football at Stanford University. While there he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Baseball career

Lynch was drafted as a right handed pitcher by the Florida Marlins the second round (66th overall) of the 1992 amateur draft. He threw the first pitch in the organization's history as a member of the Erie Sailors, which was a 95 mph ball. His jersey is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He played two seasons in the minor leagues with the Sailors and Kane County Cougars, starting nine games and going 1–3 with a 2.36 earned run average.

He roomed with Edgar Renteria according to the Oct. 31 broadcast of the Oakland Raiders versus Seattle Seahawks, which Lynch acts as a broadcaster for.

Football career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lynch was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round (82nd pick overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft. Lynch played his first 11 seasons in the league with the Buccaneers.

In 2002, Lynch collected a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego. He was the first player to wear a microphone in the Super Bowl.

Lynch was released by the Buccaneers following the 2003 season for salary cap reasons.

Denver Broncos

Lynch signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2004 season, despite being courted by the New England Patriots.

In the 2005 season, John Lynch nearly made his second Super Bowl, but the Broncos lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.

He served as the Broncos defensive captain in 2006 and 2007. On July 31, 2008, Lynch was granted his release by the Broncos. Lynch said in a news conference that his lack of playing time heading into this season was a reason for his departure.

New England Patriots

Lynch visited with the New England Patriots on August 13, 2008, then agreed to a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million. However, on September 1, 2008, Lynch was released from the team.

Retirement

On November 17, 2008, while in Tampa, Lynch officially announced his retirement from football and six days later he joined NFL on Fox in the broadcasting booth as a color commentator. He was paired with Chris Rose. His first game covered was the week 12, November 23, 2008, match-up of the Minnesota Vikings at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He now does commentary alongside Ron Pitts and Dick Stockton.

External links

• John Lynch Foundation
• Denver Broncos bio
• New England Patriots bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio