Marshawn Lynch: A Brief Biography
Marshawn Lynch is a dynamic running back who played twelve seasons in the NFL before retiring from the game in 2020. Lynch spent almost all of his career playing for the Seattle Seahawks franchise. He was, however, drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 12th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Several running back records of the franchise are now in the name of the explosive Marshawn Lynch.
The highlight of his career came in 2013 when he helped the Seahawks clinch their first Super Bowl in franchise history. That year he had 1,257 rushing yards and led the league with 12 rushing touchdowns in the regular season. He also added 4 rushing touchdowns in three postseason games including one in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Due to his unique style of play, he was given the nickname ‘Beast Mode’ by one of his childhood coaches. That nickname has stuck with him since even throughout his NFL career. Lynch has now used that nickname and turned it into his very own brand, which features an apparel line, a retail store and at least one partnership with international brands. He opened the first Beast Mode store in Oakland, California during Super Bowl 50 in 2016. Lynch has also used his brand to partner with former Pro BMX rider Todd Lyons to create an adult-sized BMX bike called the Beast Mode Ripper. In addition to this, in 2017, he launched his own Beast Mobile cell phone service which enables subscribers to pay for their phone bills by watching ads or taking part in offers.
Lynch has also tried his hand at acting and has appeared in multiple roles on TV. He has starred in TV shows such as The League, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Westworld, Murderville, etc. In 2019, Lynch was announced as the co-owner of the Oakland Panthers football team of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team was supposed to play its first game in the 2020 season, however, that plan got scrapped due to Covid-19.
Name | Marshawn Terrell Lynch |
Age | 37 |
DOB | April 22, 1986 |
Nationality | American |
Mother Name | Delisa Lynch |
Father name | Maurice Sapp |
Profession | Former NFL running back |
Net Worth | Approximately $35 million |
Height | 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 m) |
Weight | 215 lbs (98 kg) |
Education | Social welfare |
Relationship Status | Single |
Marshawn Lynch’s Early Life
Marshawn was born on April 22, 1986, in Oakland, California. He was a multi-talented athlete at Oakland Tech High School excelling in football, basketball, track and wrestling. In 2003, Lynch ran for an amazing 1,722 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in just eight games. In addition to that, he also raked up 375 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just two postseason games. On the football turf, Lynch played various positions from running back to defensive back, quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker in high school. Rivals.com had ranked Lynch as the number 2 running back in high school behind only Adrian Peterson.
In basketball, he played an important role in the team reaching the state semi-finals. Whereas in track, he mostly competed as a sprinter and had a few jumping events. As a senior, Lynch posted his best sprint time of 10.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He also set his personal best in the high jump with a leap of 1.94 meters (6 ft, 4 in) and in the long jump with a leap of 6.38 meters (20 ft, 10 in).
To continue his education and to play football in college, Lynch decided to attend the University of California, Berkeley. Although he didn’t start any of the games in his freshman year, he featured in 12 of them and 628 rushing yards in addition to 8 rushing touchdowns. In his sophomore year, Lynch got the nod to become the starting running back and made it count. For the next two years at Berkeley, Lynch ran for over 1,000 yards and had 10 and 11 rushing touchdowns respectively. In 2005, his sophomore year, he was named the Las Vegas Bowl MVP and the next year he was named the Holiday Bowl Co-Offensive MVP. He was also named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006. By the end of his junior year, Lynch, with 17 100-yard rushing games, broke the record for the University of California, Berkeley. Deciding to forgo his senior year, Marshawn entered the 2007 NFL Draft.
Marshawn Lynch’s NFL Journey
Marshawn has had an outstanding NFL journey, one that he can be very proud of. His rookie season got off to a strong start as he amassed over 1,000 rushing yards in thirteen games. His effort saw him being named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. After a strong showing in his first two seasons, Lynch’s third year was not too productive. He played in 13 games but started only 6 of them and rushed for under 500 yards on the season. The reason he missed the first three games of the season was because the league had suspended him for being in possession of a gun in his backpack that was in the car he was occupying. In 2010, he played in three of the Bills’ games before being traded to the Seahawks.
In Seattle, Lynch found his new home as he was part of the Seahawks franchise for five and a half years. He featured in his first-ever playoff game in his first season with the Seahawks. Lynch had one of his best runs in the Wild Card round against the New Orleans Saints when he broke nearly 9 tackles and stiff-armed his way to a 67 yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter sealing the win for his team. This epic run has come to be known as ‘The Beast Quake’ which is a play on his nickname and ‘Beast Mode’ and also from the fact that the fans' celebration movements during and after the play registered on a seismograph at least a 100 yards away from the stadium.
From 2011 onwards, Lynch put up more than 1,000 rushing yards each for the next four seasons with the Seahawks. The 2013 NFL season was the one season when he started all 16 regular season games for the first and only time in his career and incidentally, it was the same season the Seahawks blew out the Denver Broncos in a lopsided 43-8 win for their first Lombardi trophy in franchise history. In 2014, the Seahawks again reached the Super Bowl and Lynch had some memorable performances along the way especially in the playoffs as this was his best-ever postseason.
In 2015, Lynch got off to a very slow start and in the middle of the season he was forced to miss out on the remaining regular season due to a hernia surgery. Post this season, Lynch announced his decision to retire for the first time. After sitting out one year, Lynch made a return to the game by opting to sign with the Oakland Raiders (Las Vegas Raiders) before the team was set to move to Las Vegas. His stint with the Raiders was mediocre especially since his second year with the team saw him spend most of his time on the injured reserve list due to a groin injury. The next year in 2019, Lynch again joined the Seahawks for the second time but after just the lone season there he didn’t make a return to the game again.
Marshawn Lynch’s Statistics
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Fum | Lost | |||
2007 | BUF | 13 | 280 | 1,115 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 184 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
2008 | BUF | 15 | 250 | 1,036 | 4.1 | 8 | 47 | 300 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
2009 | BUF | 13 | 120 | 450 | 3.8 | 2 | 28 | 179 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
2010 | BUF | 4 | 37 | 164 | 4.4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
SEA | 12 | 165 | 573 | 3.5 | 6 | 21 | 138 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
2011 | SEA | 15 | 285 | 1,204 | 4.2 | 12 | 28 | 212 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
2012 | SEA | 16 | 315 | 1,590 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 196 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
2013 | SEA | 16 | 301 | 1,257 | 4.2 | 12 | 36 | 316 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
2014 | SEA | 16 | 280 | 1,306 | 4.7 | 13 | 37 | 367 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
2015 | SEA | 7 | 111 | 417 | 3.8 | 3 | 13 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | OAK | 15 | 207 | 891 | 4.3 | 7 | 20 | 151 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2018 | OAK | 6 | 90 | 376 | 4.2 | 3 | 15 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | SEA | 1 | 12 | 34 | 2.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 149 | 2453 | 10,413 | 4.2 | 85 | 287 | 2,214 | 9 | 27 | 15 |
Postseason
Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Fum | Lost | |||
2010 | SEA | 2 | 23 | 133 | 5.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | SEA | 2 | 36 | 178 | 4.9 | 2 | 4 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
2013 | SEA | 3 | 65 | 288 | 4.4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 | SEA | 3 | 63 | 318 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2015 | SEA | 1 | 6 | 20 | 3.3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | SEA | 2 | 18 | 33 | 1.8 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 13 | 211 | 970 | 4.6 | 12 | 14 | 152 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Marshawn Lynch’s Personal Life and Family Background
Marshawn who was born in April of 1986 in Oakland, California, is the son of Delisa Lynch and Maurice Sapp. During his childhood, Lynch never had an easy life. A lot of the blame for this lies with his father who was missing from his life for the most part. As a result, the onus of raising Marshawn and his siblings fell on the shoulders of his mother. Lynch has three other siblings of which two are brothers namely Davonte Lynch and David Lynch and an older sister named Marreesha Lynch.
Marshawn Lynch’s Father
Marshawn Lynch’s father Maurice Sapp is in prison serving a long twenty-four-year jail sentence for burglary. He has been previously arrested numerous times on accounts of felonies, grand theft, and burglary. Charges for his arrest have been unlawful distribution, transportation, and importation of drugs such as marijuana. Maurice’s sister Bernice while speaking to USA TODAY Sports said that her brother, even though he is in prison, is not a bad person. In addition to that, she also claimed that Maurice loves his children very much. According to Bernice, Maurice wants to improve his relationship with Marshawn, but he doesn’t want Marshawn to think that his father is only trying to take efforts due to him being a famous NFL star.
Bernice continued by saying that even though her brother was liked as a person, he was not reliable to be around. Often Marshawn would wait for his father but he wouldn’t show up, then there were times when he would be there. Marshawn, unlike other kids, didn't get the chance to see his father supporting him and discussing with him his performances on the football field and in some way, it affected him. There were times when Sapp tried to watch his son’s games from outside the fence when he was out of prison, but the growing discomfort between Marshawn’s mother and father kept him from coming to the field which started frustrating Marshawn so much so that he decided to drop Sapp from his name altogether.
Marshawn Lynch’s Mother
Delisa Lynch, a mother of four has been a constant support system for her kids over the years. Having had a rocky relationship with her husband Maurice Sapp, and seeing him get arrested and serve time in prison put a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Maurice’s actions left Delisha to deal with their kids upbringing all on her own. Delisha works a normal 9-5 job as a maintenance supervisor for AT&T. Delisha and Marshawn share a very close bond, but that doesn’t mean she takes her son’s success for granted. She was once told by the Seattle Times that she remains a simple and grounded individual despite how famous her son may have become.
It is interesting to note that Marshawn and his siblings may have gotten their athletic ability from Delisha. She was a track athlete during her days at Oakland Technical High School and set the then 200-meter track record for her school. Unfortunately, though, she never pursued her athletic career. Earlier in her career, Delisha worked two jobs to keep her kids off the streets and pay for their sports. During the day she worked at Long’s Drugs and Federal Express during the night. Her support of Marshawn has been unwavering even after he made it to the NFL. In return for all that she has done for him, Marshawn showed his gratitude by buying her a nice new house and a new car when he first signed with the Bills.
Marshawn Lynch’s Siblings
Not a lot is known about Marshawn’s siblings. He has two brothers and one sister. His younger brother Davonte Sapp-Lynch followed in his footsteps and played football for Spokane Shock as a running back. Apart from this Marshawn has kept his family life quite private.
Marshawn Lynch’s Wife
Rumors are going around the media stating that Marshawn Lynch is married to Charmaine Glock. This news, however, cannot be confirmed as of yet since Marshawn has not made any statements in support of the rumors. If it is true, then Lynch is married to a former adult film star. Residing in Seattle, Glock currently works for RetroGrade Engineering. She is also quite known due to her Instagram modeling account.
Marshawn Lynch’s Social Media
Lynch is quite active on his social media pages which he uses to engage with his fans and to let them know the things happening in his life. He can be followed on social media with the following links:
Twitter - @MoneyLynch
Facebook - Marshawn Lynch
Instagram - beastmode
Marshawn Lynch’s Net Worth
The current net worth of Marshawn Lynch is approximately $35 million. In addition to his salary and contracts from the NFL, Lynch has increased his net worth with the help of various endorsements. As far as contracts go, Marshawn signed his rookie contract with the Bills for 5 years worth $19,065,000 and earned $3,006,150 as a signing bonus. In 2012, he signed a 4-year deal worth $30 million, then a two-year deal worth $24 million. His last two contracts were another two years $9 million and a 1-year deal that paid him $1,030,000. Through the various endorsement deals he has done, Lynch has approximately earned another $5 million. With business investments, it is expected that Lynch’s net worth will rise substantially shortly.
Marshawn Lynch’s Brand Endorsements
One of the most unique deals to have ever been made is probably between Marshawn Lynch and Skittles. Lynch used to gorge on Skittles since his younger days and it was something he continued doing in the NFL as well. Taking his Skittles attraction to another level, he wore cleats with Skittles featuring on them in the league for which he was heavily fined. And in this way, Skittles made him their brand ambassador in 2014. Some of Lynch’s other important endorsements are as follows:
Nike
FritoLay
Subway
Pepsi
Progressive
Microsoft
Activision
Marshawn Lynch’s Investments
For life after football, Marshawn Lynch has prepared well by making a couple of good investments from the money he had already earned. First and foremost, he has made excellent use of his Beastmode nickname using it to launch his very own lifestyle brand with the same name. Through this brand, he sells apparel and merchandise with online retailer Fanatics as his partner.
Next up is his investment in Beast Mobile which is his idea of a cell phone service supported through ads. It is such an innovative way that subscribers can pay their phone bills by just interacting with ads and offers.
Lynch has put his money into BMX as well. Being a skilled BMX rider himself, he was approached by former Pro BMX rider Todd Lyons and the pair launched a customized bike in 2018 which carries the BMX brand.
In other sports, he has become part owner of the NHL franchise Seattle Krakens from 2022 onwards. Furthermore, he was also the co-owner of the Oakland Panthers which was an Indoor Football League (IFL) team, then he became part-owner of a team called Beast for the Fan Controlled Football( FCF) league, and finally, he also joined a group of owners of the USL Championship Oakland Roots SC which is a soccer team.
Through all of the above investments he has made, Lynch’s net worth is likely to shoot up very soon and he may even reach close to $100 million in a matter of time.
Marshawn Lynch’s Achievements
Marshawn Lynch’s NFL career and football accomplishments from his college days are well documented in the history books. When he was playing the game, he had taken giant steps to leave his mark on the running back position. The tenacity and drive with which he approached the game every time he took to the field brought about the best in him and as a result, he has a list of some remarkable achievements which are as follows:
Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XLVIII)
First-Team All-Pro (2012)
Second-Team All-Pro (2014)
5 time Pro Bowl selection (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007)
First-team All-American (2006)
First-team All-Pac-10 (2006)
Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (2006)
Holiday Bowl Co-Offensive MVP (2006)
Las Vegas Bowl MVP (2005)
Marshawn Lynch’s Contract
Although Marshawn has now been retired from the NFL for the past few years, his latest contract was a one-year deal with the Seahawks back in 2019 for $1,030,000 with no signing bonus and a base salary of $60,588.
Marshawn Lynch’s House
At present, Marshawn resides in his beautiful house that is in Waialua, Hawaii. Purchased in 2019, Lynch paid $1.1 million for this stunning tropical paradise that spreads over a sweet 9,516 square feet of land. With more than 2,000 square feet of living area, the house, though relatively simple, offers the best view of the ocean that money can buy. With plenty of windows there is never a shortage of natural light coming inside. Earlier, Lynch used to live in a 7,039-square-foot modern mansion located in Richmond, California.
Marshawn Lynch’s Cars
Being a former NFL running back who played in the league for close to twelve years, Marshawn doesn’t seem to be a car enthusiast. As far as the information available, Lynch has three known cars of which one is an 86 Honda Civic. One of his prized possessions is a white V12 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster which he crashed sometime in 2022. It has also been reported that he recently bought a Toyota Prius.
Marshawn Lynch’s Charity
Along with Joshua Johnson and Marcus Peters, Marshawn Lynch has set up the Fam 1st Family Foundation. This foundation is in Lynch’s hometown of Oakland, California and focuses on empowering and elevating the youth towards economic, athletic, educational and experiential opportunities which will aid in the long-term growth of the community and self-sustainability.
FAQs
A. There were a couple of reasons why Marshawn Lynch was traded from the Bills to the Seahawks. The first one was that he did not meet their expectations and the other one was that he was involved in a lot of legal trouble since entering the league.
A. Marshawn Lynch was part of the Super Bowl XLVIII-winning Seattle Seahawks team which crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8.
A. Marshawn Lynch does not have any children up until this point.
A. Through his NFL contracts, brand endorsements and various investments, Marshawn Lynch has earned a huge amount of money. His current net worth is around $35 million.