Jim Lynch

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Jim Lynch was an American football linebacker who played 11 seasons in the AFL and NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was born on August 28, 1945, in Lima, Ohio, and died on July 21, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Lynch attended Lima Central Catholic High School and played college football at the University of Notre Dame from 1964 to 1966. He led the Fighting Irish in tackles in 1965 and 1966, served as the defensive captain of the 1966 national champion team, and won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best college football player in 1966. He was a unanimous All-American that year. He helped Notre Dame win national championships in 1964 and 1966.

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Lynch in the second round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft. He played outside linebacker for the Chiefs from 1967 to 1977, teaming up with Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell on a standout defense that powered the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV in 1969 and to the AFL championship that same year. Lynch earned AFL All-Star honors in 1968 and was a two-time second-team All-AFL selection (1968, 1969).

Over his career, Lynch recorded 18 sacks, 17 interceptions for 191 return yards, 14 fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1990 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He was also an inaugural member of the Lima Central Catholic Hall of Fame in 1988. Lynch and his wife had three children; his older brother Tom played football for Navy in 1963.

Lynch passed away on July 21, 2022, at the age of 76.