Ray Lynch (American football)

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Ray Lynch
Biographical details
Born(1894-01-29)January 29, 1894
South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 1965(1965-04-11) (aged 71)
Queens Village, New York, U.S.
Alma materSt. John's College School of Law
Playing career
Football
1914–1917Holy Cross
1918Newport Naval Reserves
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1922St. John's Prep. (NY)
1923–1931St. John's
1935–1936Bay Parkway Football Club
1937–1939Brooklyn Eagles
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1923–1931St. John's
Head coaching record
Overall28–37–6 (College football)

Raymond Francis Lynch (January 29, 1894 – April 11, 1965) was an American football player and coach who played for the College of the Holy Cross and was head coach of the St. John's Red Storm football team from 1923 to 1931.

Playing[edit]

Lynch was born on January 29, 1894, in South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts.[1] He graduated from South Hadley High School in 1912 and the Cushing Academy in 1914 and played football at both schools.[2]

Lynch played guard for the Holy Cross Crusaders and was captain of the team in 1916 and 1917.[3][4] Lynch enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve on June 14, 1918, and served his entire enlistment at Naval Station Newport, where he was a captain of the Newport Naval Reserves football team.[5][2] He was a Walter Camp's all-service third-team selection.[6] He was honorably discharged on December 27, 1918.[5] He was inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1961.[7]

Coaching[edit]

Lynch began his coaching career at St. John's Preparatory School in Queens.[8] In 1923, he became head football coach and athletic director at St. John's College.[9] He was also a professor of English and political science and attended the St. John's School of Law.[10]

Lynch re-established a football program that had been dormant for sixteen years and in his first season, St. John's went undefeated and outscored their opponents 111 points to 32.[11][12] His only other winning season came in 1930, when the Redmen, led by Bob Sheppard, went 7–1.[1] Following the 1931 season, the school dropped football for financial reasons.[9] Lynch stepped down as athletic director on December 31, 1931, but remained with St. John's as a pre-law instructor.[13] His overall record at St. John's was 28–37–6.[1]

In 1933 and 1934, Lynch was an official for the National Football League.[14][15] From 1935 to 1939, he was head coach of the Bay Parkway Football Club/Brooklyn Eagles, a minor league football team.[16][17]

Later life[edit]

During World War II, Lynch was personnel director of the USO overseas department.[18] After the war, he was associated with law firm of Fanning & Fanning. On April 11, 1965, Lynch suffered a fatal heart attack while driving.[10]

Head coaching record[edit]

College[edit]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
St. John's Red and White / Redmen (Independent) (1923–1931)
1923 St. John's 5–0–1
1924 St. John's 3–3
1925 St. John's 3–4
1926 St. John's 1–5–1
1927 St. John's 1–7–1
1928 St. John's 2–5–2
1929 St. John's 3–7
1930 St. John's 7–1
1931 St. John's 3–5–1
St. John's: 28–37–6
Total: 28–37–6

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Bill Shannon Biographical Dictionary of New York Sports: Ray Lynch". New-York Historical Society Museum & Library. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Who's Who in American Sports. Marquis Who's Who. 1928. p. 505.
  3. ^ "Boston College Confident, Expecting Hard Fight". The Boston Globe. November 10, 1917.
  4. ^ "Brown and Holy Cross". The Boston Globe. October 7, 1917.
  5. ^ a b Holy Cross College service record, war of 1917. Worcester, Mass.: Holy Cross College. 1920. p. 324. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  6. ^ Camp, Walter (January 11, 1919). "The All-Service Team". Collier's. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Raymond F. Lynch". Holy Cross Crusaders. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Gridiron Leaders of 1926". Youngstown Vindicator. November 6, 1926. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b "St. John's, Because of Expense, to Drop Football and Baseball After This Year". The New York Times. April 30, 1931.
  10. ^ a b "Raymond F. Lynch, Lawyer, Ex-Athlete". The New York Times. April 13, 1965.
  11. ^ "First St. John's Team in Years Swamps Stevens: Red and White Starts Well After a Sixteen-Year Lapse". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 7, 1923. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Saint John's Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "Freeman Gets St. John's Post". The New York Times. June 25, 1931.
  14. ^ "Giants Defeat Brooklyn Team". The Portsmouth Times. December 1, 1933. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  15. ^ Daley, Arthur (October 8, 1934). "Passes Help Bears Down Dodgers, 21 to 7, Before Crowd of 20,000 at Ebbets Field". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "West Point Team to Play Parkways". Daily News from New York. November 15, 1935. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Clippers to Make Bid for Win Today". The Sunday Morning Star. December 3, 1939. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Football Too Slow for Bermudians". Youngstown Vindicator. February 4, 1945. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
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