Dick Lynch, who played defensive back with the Giants from 1959-1966, passed away yesterday at the age of 72. While I never got to see Lynch the player, my familiarity with him came as the color man on Giant radio broadcasts, a position he held until last year, an amazing 40 years. Before the advent of Sunday Ticket and sports bars, my early memories of the Giants involved listening to WNEW 1130 with play-by-play man Jim Gordon and Dick Lynch describing the games. Together, those two men provided me with some of my best early memories of being a sports fan and Giants’ fan. I can remember picturing the game as they described it, then waiting for the highlights to see how it actually unfolded. Old school stuff.
Lynch’s style could only be described as pro-Giant and he wasn’t afraid to let you know it. He also was a huge Notre Dame fan (his alma mater) and he didn’t hide that either. In doing some research on Lynch, I found some interesting things. He is perhaps best known for a 3-yard touchdown run in 1957 that gave Notre Dame a 7-0 win over Oklahoma, ending the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak. Lynch was also a very fine amateur boxer while at the Golden Dome.
It’s been awhile since I actually listened to a Giants’ radio broadcast. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend many Giant home games over the last 10 years and, as mentioned before, satellite TV now makes every game accessible. Those times that I did listen to Gordon (who passed away a few years ago) and Lynch on the radio remain my favorite era of Giants’ football (1980’s). For that, I thank both men for making it extra special in the way they described the game.
