‘The Golden Gladiator’ author shares story of getting back on the football field at 64 years old
By Fox 13 News Staff
The game of football has always played a huge part in 72-year-old Michael Lynch’s life, but many of his glory days on the gridiron aren’t so distant.
After high school on Long Island, Michael played a little in college and then went on to play semi-pro football in New York. He even landed a tryout with the New York Jets in 1974.
“Lou Holtz was the only coach to ever cut me when he coached with the Jets,” Lynch said.
In 1977, at 28 years old, he decided to call it a career. Fast-forward 35 years later and Lynch said he had an epiphany in 2012 while watching his nephew play high school football. He knew he had to get back on the gridiron.
At 65 years old, Lynch, who was living in Sarasota, asked the owner of the Millionaires, a local semi-pro team, if he could try out for the squad. Twenty practices later, he made the team.
