Tag: denver broncs

John Lynch is now a seven-time Hall of Fame finalist

Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket. Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year …

Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket.

Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year prior, the Florida Marlins also drafted Lynch as a pitcher with the 66th overall pick (second round) but he ultimately chose football as his career going forward, and it’s safe to say that both he and the Bucs are happy he went that route.

Throughout the first three seasons of his career, Lynch was mainly a backup safety, barring injury to the Bucs starters (Marty Carter 1993-94 and Barney Bussey 1995) despite flashing signs of the greatness that has Lynch as a seven-time finalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 1995, Lynch earned his first start for the Bucs against the Minnesota Vikings and made a tremendous impact with 11 tackles (six solo), two passes deflected and he picked off Vikings quarterback Warren Moon twice. It wasn’t until coaches Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin implemented the Tampa 2 defense that Lynch would wind up putting the entire league on notice that he was as a mainstay in the starting lineup as the Buccaneers strong safety.

While his numbers may not show the flashy appeal that some fans want to see when it comes to talking about all-time greats, Lynch possessed all of the intangibles that makes players great. Lynch played 11 seasons for the Buccaneers and four with the Denver Broncos.

Since 2017, Lynch has been the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, instilling the same intensity he played with into his team’s players and coaches, and rebuilt a franchise that saw a fall from grace since their 2012 visit to the Super Bowl. The 49ers earned a record of 13-3 this season, good enough for the best record in the NFC and a bye in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.

John Lynch Hall of Fame resume

  • 1059 combined tackles (727 solo, 319 assisted)
  • 16 Forced Fumbles
  • 26 Interceptions
  • 9x Pro Bowler (1997, 1999-2002, 2004-2007)
  • 2x NFL All-Pro First Team (1999 and 2000)
  • 2x NFL All-Pro Second Team (2001 and 2002)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
  • Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

Buccaneers faithful, and Lynch himself, will find out February 1 if seventh time is the charm for him to join fellow Buccaneers Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy in the NFL Hall of Fame.

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