Many Seahawks fan still have the memory of Marshawn Lynch’s legendary run against the New Orleans Saints during the first Seahawks playoff game of 2011. Throughout his tenure, many internet forums praise Lynch as Seattle’s best secret weapon even though he was not well known ever since he was drafted to Seattle last October. Even so, all his past accolades pointed to the rising of a star player.
He began his climb to fame at Oakland Technical High School in California where he was a football and track star. On the football team, he experiment with a variety of positions including defensive back, wide receiver, and quarterback; even being named the nation’s number one defensive back by rivals.com, but ultimately chose to stick with being a running back. He was also voted San Francisco East Bay Player of the Year in 2003.
Lynch continued to play football at UC Berkeley where he became starting running back by his sophomore year where he amassed 1,246 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns on 196 carries and an additional 125 yards on 15 receptions during the 2005 season. During the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, Lynch ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and ultimately was named MVP of the game.
In 2006, Lynch was on the list to receive the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy. He was also named the 8th best player in the nation by Sports Illustrated, PAC 10 Offensive Player of the Year, and an AFCA All-American. Among those achievements, he was award several other accolades. Lynch would forgo his senior year at Berkeley to enter the NFL draft where he picked up by the Buffalo Bills.
Lynch played his first professional game on September 9th, 2007 against the Denver Broncos. Even though the Bills lost, Lynch managed to rushed 90 yards on 19 carries and scored his first ever NFL touchdown. Months later, on December 23rd in a game against the New York Giants, Lynch became the fourth Buffalo Bills rookie in history to break the 1,000 yard mark. He finished his rookie season, rushing 1,115 yards and scoring seven touchdowns.
In the 2008 season, Lynch rushed 1036 yards and scored eight touchdowns. His career was at an all time high but the 2009 season brought him misfortune with a throng of injuries that kept him sidelined for a good portion of the season. For the first time in his professional career, Lynch finished the season without breaking the 1,000 yard mark. In the beginning of the 2010 season, Lynch would start in three games for the Bills before being drafted to the Seattle Seahawks on October 5th.
Lynch scored his first blue and green touchdown against the Chicago Bears on October 17th. On December 5th, he scored three touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. And of course, on January 8th, in his first ever playoff game, Lynch ran the game winning play against the New Orleans Saints. The ball was given to Lynch who found a hole in the Saints’ line. He forced his way through the line and ran down the field, breaking eight tackles and shoving Tracey Porter to the ground. He even managed to avoid Darren Sharper, one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league, to cross the plane and score the touchdown.
With his best years ahead of him, it is safe to assume Marshawn Lynch will continue to make waves in the NFL pool.
