John Lynch

John Terrence Lynch Jr. (born September 25, 1971) is an American football executive and former safety who is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

Lynch planned on pursuing baseball after he was drafted by the Florida Marlins and head coach Dennis Green accepted the head coaching position with the Minnesota Vikings in 1992.

Walsh was hired as Stanford head coach and convinced Lynch return for his senior season, where he recorded 76 tackles and four interceptions, including a 62 yard return touchdown.

Stanford went 10–3 that year, only the second 10-win season in school history, with a final ranking of #9 and win in the Blockbuster Bowl.

Lynch was drafted as a right-handed pitcher by the Florida Marlins in the second round (66th overall) of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.

He threw the first pitch in the organization's history as a member of the Erie Sailors; thus, his jersey with the Sailors is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He played two seasons in the minor leagues with the Sailors and the Kane County Cougars, starting nine games and going 1–3 with a 2.35 earned run average.

He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft, later winning Super Bowl XXXVII with them.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Lynch in the third round (82nd pick overall) of the 1993 NFL draft.

Lynch was the sixth safety drafted in 1993.

On May 15, 1993, the Buccaneers signed Lynch to a two-year contract worth $526,750.

Lynch began his rookie season as a special teams player.

He made his NFL regular-season debut and first NFL start in the season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and recorded a tackle during their 27–3 loss.

On November 14, 1993, Lynch earned his third start of the season, replacing Marty Carter at strong safety.

During Week 11, Lynch recorded a season-high six combined tackles during a 45–21 loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

He was demoted back to behind the backup strong safety after Week 12.

Lynch finished his rookie season with ten combined tackles and two forced fumbles in 15 games and four starts.

Lynch remained as a backup strong safety under head coach Sam Wyche in 1994.

In Week 11, he collected a season-high four combined tackles in a 14–9 road loss to the Detroit Lions.

Lynch finished his second professional season with 16 combined tackles in 16 games and no starts.

Lynch competed against Barney Bussey to be the starting strong safety after it was left vacant by the departure of Marty Carter.

Head coach Sam Wyche named Lynch the backup strong safety behind Barney Bussey to begin the regular season.

During Week 6, Lynch recorded two combined tackles and made his first NFL interception during a 19–16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.

Lynch made his first career interception off a pass attempt by Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake, that was intended for wide receiver Darnay Scott, in the fourth quarter.

In the next game against the Minnesota Vikings, Lynch earned the job as the starting strong safety and had his breakout performance during the 20–17 victory, collecting a season-high 11 combined tackles (six solo), deflecting two passes, and making two interceptions off of Vikings quarterback Warren Moon.

His attributes his performance to knowing Vikings head coach Dennis Green's impulses from playing under him at Stanford and studying Moon's tendencies.

Lynch remained the starting strong safety for the remainder of the season but was inactive for three games (Weeks 12–14) due to an injury.

On December 27, 1995, the Buccaneers announced their decision to fire head coach Sam Wyche after they finished with a 7–9 record in 1995.

Lynch finished the 1995 season with 38 combined tackles and three interceptions in nine games and six starts.

On January 23, 1996, the Buccaneers named Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy to be their new head coach.

Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin devised a Cover 2 defense that became known as the Tampa 2.

Throughout training camp, Lynch competed against Todd Scott to retain his role as the starting strong safety.

Lynch was sidelined for the first two preseason games due to a rib injury.

Lynch also spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos before retiring in 2008 and working as a color commentator for NFL on Fox games until being named general manager of the 49ers in 2017.

He made nine Pro Bowls during his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

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 played football, baseball, and basketball.

Lynch starred in baseball and football at Stanford University.

He played football under head coach Dennis Green and played his senior season under Bill Walsh.

Lynch began his football career at Stanford as a backup quarterback but transitioned to safety before his junior season.