By Jeff Lipton
Richard Dennis â Dickâ Lynch, who was born in Oceanside on April 29, 1936, died on Wednesday, Sept. 24 after a battle with leukemia.
He began his NFL career in 1958 as a defensive back for the Washington Redskins and later the Giants, playing in a total of 109 games, grabbing 37 interceptions and scoring seven touchdowns. After his playing days were over, he took over color commentary for Giants games on the radio, where he was not afraid to hide his love of the Giants and openly rooted for them on the air.
"Dick was such an important part of our organization for so many years that we really considered him part of the family," Giants President John Mara said in a statement. "He was a true Giant as a player, a broadcaster and as a man. We will miss him dearly and our thoughts and prayers go out to [his wife] Roz and the entire Lynch family."
Lynch attended college at the University of Notre Dame, and he scored the only touchdown in a 7-0 victory over the University of Oklahoma, ending the Soonersâ 47-game winning streak. He was later inducted into the Notre Dame Hall of Fame. He was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Redskins in 1958 and a year later was traded to the Giants, where he had remained a part of the organization until his death.
He was a one-time Pro-Bowler in 1963, when he led the league in interceptions. He worked as a color commentator for the Giants from 1967 to 2008, during which he was paired with play-by-play men Marty Glickman, Marv Albert, Jim Gordon and Bob Papa.
The last game he worked was the miraculous Giants Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. His illness prevented him from doing any of the games this season. Giants coach Tom Coughlin got to know Lynch over the years. "There isn't a nicer guy in my opinion, more popular guy, a more popular Giant than Dick Lynch was, Coughlin said in a statement. We are all saddened, really saddened by the loss."
In addition to providing insightful analysis to legions of fans tuning into the radio broadcast, Lynch was known as the Phil Rizzuto of football, wishing his grandchildren happy birthday, talking about a neighbor's barbeque or revealing where in the stadium his close friends were seated.
Lynch also suffered heartbreak in recent years when his son Richard was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, working on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center. Somehow, Lynch found the courage to broadcast the game when the Giants returned to action in Kansas City just 12 days later. "It was the toughest thing I ever had to do," Lynch was quoted as saying.
In 2005, Lynch was honored for his many years of service and for his tireless work for charitable causes as the Giants Alumni Man of the Year at the team's annual kickoff luncheon at the New York Hilton.
Lynch attended elementary school at St. Mary's in Manhattan. The Lynch family then moved to Bound Brook, N.J. and he attended Phillipsburg Catholic High School in Clinton, N.J.
In addition to his wife, Roz, he is survived by children Jennifer Lynch, Nancy Lord, Rosalie Nester, Cynthia Lynch and John Liam Lynch; sister Myrna Caruso, and brothers F. Kevin Lynch and Dennis Lynch; and 11 grandchildren. A funeral Mass was held on Monday at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
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Photos courtesy The Giants
