Former Chiefs Pro Bowl linebacker Jim Lynch passes away at 76

Former Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl linebacker Jim Lynch passed away at the age of 76 this week.

An essential member of some of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ early golden years has passed away this week. NFL reporter Rick Gosselin noted that former Chiefs linebacker Jim Lynch has died at the age of 76.

Lynch spent a total of 11 seasons playing for the Chiefs after the franchise selected him in the second round of the 1967 NFL Draft out of the University of Notre Dame.

Lynch was a star linebacker at Notre Dame who was a defensive captain in the heart of a national championship team. Lynch even won the Maxwell Award in 1966 as the nation’s best college football player (Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy that year), and Lynch ended his career for the Fighting Irish with 255 tackles, 6 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 1 recovered fumble.

For the Chiefs, Lynch would exemplify the toughness that made him such a strong tackler at the collegiate level. Together with Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, the trio of linebackers would form one of the best positional units in NFL history. Lynch would go on to one Pro Bowl (All-AFL, actually) and a long productive career in K.C.

Lynch played in 151 games for the Chiefs over 11 seasons, starting in 142 of them. He caught 17 interceptions in that span and was a two-time All-Pro and helped the Chiefs earn their first championship in ’69. Lynch would go on to earn induction into the Chiefs Hall of Honor in 1990.