MIAMI — Before his 49ers take the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, general manager John Lynch has a chance to taste victory.
Lynch is in his seventh year as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will learn if 2020 is the year on Saturday when the selection committee meets in Miami to vote on a five-player class.
Would taking his place among legends of the game in Canton, Ohio change Lynch’s life?
“I’ve been pretty blessed in terms of my family, what I’ve been able to do in football, but I’ve heard other people say that but then they go in and you never know until you’re in there what it means to you,” Lynch said. “It would be tremendous. I would be incredibly honored. Hopefully this is the year on Saturday.”
Lynch is one of 15 modern-era finalists, but no one on the ballot has been a candidate more than the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos safety. A nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro safety, Lynch has never drifted far from the sport as he worked as a game analyst for FOX before beginning a tenure as the 49ers’ general manager in 2017.
Given all he’s accomplished in a high-profile career off the field, Lynch’s impact on the sport continues to grow. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has raved about working with him, but insists Lynch’s on-field exploits are enough for voters to support his candidacy.
“I got to Tampa Bay, that’s where I started my NFL career and all the tape I got to watch for two years, John wasn’t there at all but the tape I got to watch on him and how good that defense was, how it would not have been that good if he wasn’t there, to me he solidified it in Tampa,” Shanahan said Tuesday.
After spending the first 11 years of his career in Tampa Bay, Lynch played for Shanahan’s father, Mike, for four seasons in Denver. Despite the fact Lynch’s playing days were winding down, Shanahan said he was consistently impressed by the way he locked down the back end of an aggressive Broncos defense.
“People acted like he was a Tampa 2 safety, but anybody who watched the Denver defense that year, they were running more all-out blitzes than any team that I’ve seen in my entire career by far,” Shanahan said. “They were averaging 10-to-15 a game.”
Even if Lynch misses out on the chance to be inducted in a special 2020 centennial Hall of Fame class, his 49ers will have the opportunity to send him home with the gift of a lifetime. After winning the Super Bowl as a player under Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay in January, 2003, he could reach the mountain top as an executive 17 years later.
If the Hall of Fame comes calling and the 49ers beat the Chiefs, Lynch will enjoy the weekend of a lifetime.
“I’ve dreamt about it, here we are,” Lynch said. “It could be a real nice weekend.”
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Super Saturday? 49ers’ John Lynch hopes to taste victory before his team does - Woodland Daily Democrat
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