John Lynch finally elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

TAMPA — John Lynch told himself that he had left it all on the field. After eight years of being a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he knew there wasn’t another tackle he could make or another pass he could intercept to convince voters he belonged among the greats of the game.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that Lynch was at his home in San Diego on the day the Bucs were playing the Packers in the NFC Championship Game last month.

Then came a loud knock on the door from David Baker, president of the Hall of Fame, whose appearance this time of year heralds that a player’s bust soon will be in Canton, Ohio.

“What’s up? Oh my gosh,” Lynch said upon opening the door and seeing Baker.

“I think that’s a knock you’ve been waiting for,” Baker said.

“Are you serious, David?” Lynch said.

A few minutes later, the stunned former Bucs and Broncos safety — and current general manager of the 49ers — was surrounded by family, friends and colleagues, including 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and CEO Jed York, who made the trek from San Francisco.

“I thought I always had great perspective that, you know what, I gave it all I had on the field and whether I made it or not (into the Hall) it wouldn’t matter. It’s not going to change my life,” Lynch said in a video of Baker appearing at his home that day last month to tell him about his selection. “But, my gosh, this feels life-changing right now. That’s unbelievable.”

Though the wait was interminable for Lynch, the timing of his selection couldn’t be better for him. He will be introduced with the rest of the 2021 class during tonight’s Super Bowl 55 between the Bucs and the Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.

“My first reaction was relief and joy at the same time,” Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks said of his former teammate’s selection. “I know how disappointed he has been, and … none of that matters now. The look on his face and his reaction (when hearing about his selection), it’s like all is forgotten. That’s what I’m feeling for him. It’s all about looking ahead and not looking behind, so I’m extremely grateful to welcome him to Canton. Obviously, we’re teammates forever on a different team.”

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Lynch is the third player from the Bucs’ Super Bowl 37 title team to be elected to the Hall, joining Brooks (2014) and defensive tackle Warren Sapp (2013). Cornerback Ronde Barber was a finalist for the first time this year but did not make it to the round of 10.

Lynch is scheduled to be enshrined in a ceremony in Canton, Ohio, in August with the rest of the class, which was voted on in a virtual gathering Jan. 19 and made public Saturday night.

The class also includes in the modern-era category with Lynch Colts quarterback Peyton Manning; Raiders and Packers cornerback Charles Woodson; Lions receiver Calvin Johnson; and Steelers guard Alan Faneca.

In other categories, former Cowboys great Drew Pearson, 70, was elected in the senior; the late Bill Nunn Jr., a journalist and scout for the Steelers, in the contributor; and Tom Flores, 83, in the coach. Flores was the first Hispanic quarterback to win a Super Bowl ring and the first minority head coach to win a Lombardi Trophy. His Raiders won Super Bowls XV and XVIII.

A third-round draft pick by the Bucs in 1993, Lynch was switched from quarterback to safety at Stanford by coach Bill Walsh, who recommended him to Tampa Bay coach Sam Wyche.

Lynch was a nine-time Pro Bowl player, including four seasons (2004-07) with the Broncos after he left the Bucs. He is in the Ring of Honor of both franchises. Yet it was hard for voters to fully recognize Lynch’s value to the Bucs’ defense, which was one of the best in NFL history for nearly a decade.

“That’s something that unless you were there day to day in the huddle, you wouldn’t understand as a voter,” said Tony Dungy, a Hall of Fame coach who led the Bucs and Colts. “I tried to explain that. I’m sure other people did, too. Then when you look at how many guys are All-Pros on two different franchises and how many guys are in the Ring of Honor in two different franchises, that tells you something right there.

“(Lynch) had to play near the line of scrimmage to be able to tackle big backs and guys in the Hall of Fame like Jerome Bettis. … And then you had to be able to tackle in open space, guys like Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. When the defense called for you to cover a tight end man-to-man like Tony Gonzalez or Shannon Sharpe, you had to be able to do that. And then you had to be able to play in the deep part of the field and make plays on the ball. … You had to be smart enough to do all that and tough enough to do it that many years.”

Barber said Lynch provided the fire and passion for the Bucs’ defense: “He was our emotional anchor all the time. He carried so much energy and had a will to him. John could force his will on you and make guys be their best on any Sunday. To me, he’s the perfect Hall of Fame guy, because it doesn’t always have to be about the guy who has the best numbers or the most sacks. He was damn near a perfect football player and a guy who went above and beyond to get there.”

Lynch was known as an intimidating player, and rule changes in the NFL would outlaw some of the tackles he imposed on ball carriers and receivers.

“You can’t play the game (now) the way John Lynch played the game,” Sapp said. “And when you can play it like he played it, put him in the museum like a dinosaur because he’s extinct. The greatest real estate in the National Football League, John Lynch controlled it with vigor, passion and a love that only Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum come to mind when I think of him. That’s where my guy sits for me, the third-best strong safety that’s ever played in the history of the league.”

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