KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jim Lynch, the hard-hitting linebacker who helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970 Super Bowl following a standout career at Notre Dame, has died. He was 76.
Lynch's family announced that he died Thursday but did not provide a cause.
"I am often asked who was the best player to coach and Jim Lynch always comes to mind," the late Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian once said. "He was All-America in every sense: talented, hard-nosed and honest."
Lynch grew up in Lima, Ohio, and starred for Central Catholic High School before heading to Notre Dame, where he became one of the most dominant players in school history.