The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will induct safety John Lynch into the Ring of Honor, the team announced today. The exact date has yet to be determined, as the NFL's 2016 schedule isn't out yet.
Lynch joins Lee Roy Selmon, Paul Gruber, John McKay, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Jimmie Giles, Mike Alstott and Doug Williams in the Ring of Honor, and its well-deserved. He played eleven seasons for the Bucs, winning a Super Bowl, making it to five Pro Bowls and being named first-team All-Pro twice while playing in Tampa. He was the cornerstone of the Tampa 2 secondary in its heyday, and the Bucs never quite managed to replace him once he left.
After being drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft, Lynch racked up 787 total tackes, 23 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and six sacks as a Buc. He had a reputation as the hardest hitter in the NFL, although his playing style wouldn't quite work in today's NFL.
Lynch is also one of fifteen finalists up for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and we'll know whether he's selected on February 6. The Ring of Honor induction can only help him there.
