No. 51 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Date of birth: | August 28, 1945 | ||||||||||||
Place of birth: | Lima, Ohio | ||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Interceptions: | 17 |
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INT yards: | 191 |
INT return TDs: | 1 |
Fumble recoveries: | 14 |
Games started: | 126 |
Games played: | 151 |
James Robert Lynch (born August 28, 1945) is a former American football linebacker who spent his entire eleven-year professional career (1967–1977) with Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL).
Lynch attended Lima Central Catholic High School in Lima, Ohio and the University of Notre Dame. He led Notre Dame in tackles in 1965 with 108 and in 1966 with 106. He was the defensive captain of the 1966 National Champion Fighting Irish team. Lynch also won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best college football player in 1966.
From 1967 to 1977, Lynch was a right outside linebacker, playing alongside middle linebacker Willie Lanier and left outside linebacker Bobby Bell, both Pro Football Hall of Famers. These linebackers were important elements to lead the Chiefs' defense in their 1969 championship season, en route to winning their first and only AFL-NFL World Championship (Super Bowl IV).
Lynch finished his career with 17 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. He scored 1 touchdown and was selected to play in the 1968 AFL All-Star Game. In 1990, Lynch was inducted into the Chiefs' Hall of Fame.