Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jim Lynch, a member of the team’s Hall of Fame after helping the club win its first Super Bowl, has died at age 76.
No cause of death was released among several outlets which reported on his death.
Lynch played all 11 NFL seasons with the Chiefs and helped form one of the league’s most well-respected linebacking units along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier. Lynch still has the third-most interceptions (17) by a linebacker in team history, behind only Lanier (27) and Bell (26).
The Lima, Ohio, native starred in college at Notre Dame, where he served as a co-captain on the national championship squad in 1966 and won the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in college football. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
After being selected by the Chiefs in the second round in 1967, Lynch played in 148 straight games to begin his career, missing his only three career games in his final season in 1977. He ranks sixth in franchise history with 14 fumble recoveries and earned Pro Bowl honors in 1968, his second season.
Lynch made four tackles in Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings, which Kansas City won 23-7 in his only Super Bowl appearance.
Over his 11 seasons with the Chiefs, Lynch played in 151 of a possible 154 games, starting 142. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Honor in 1990.