Football: Family, friends remember David ‘Nick’ Lynch

By James A. McCray III
Prince George’s County, Content Manager

Friday night’s candlelight vigil on the Suitland High School football field to mourn the passing of head football coach David “Nick” Lynch was far from a sad moment.

As put by his son David Lynch Jr. in speaking to the hundreds upon hundreds of supporters that attended, it was a celebration of the man that meant so much to so many.

“I know this is tough, but this is why we go to church,” the son said. “This is a celebration, my father is home. … I can hear him telling me, ‘Stop that crying boy.’ Suitland, now, is more than just a football team, it is more than a football program, and it became my life. … You all need to be strong, really strong.”

The elder Lynch was killed in a car accident in the early morning hours on New Year’s Eve, unexpected news to the tight-knit fraternity of coaches and to Suitland High School principal Mark Fossett.

“Look at all of these people that are here tonight,” Fossett said in speaking to the crowd.

“This is just like a football game; a play-off game” he continued. ” … [Lynch] came here in 1996 as the head coach and took the Suitland football program, a program that had never had a winning season, and turned it into a county power house. Nick dedicated his life to Suitland High School and to the students of Suitland High School.”

Coach Lynch indeed turned Suitland into a state-known program as he and the Rams won two 4A state championships in 2004 and 2006 and made plenty of play-off appearances throughout his 13 years of coaching.

As great as Lynch’s body of work was on the football field, many believe that his best efforts were done off of it.

“He did not do his best work on this field,” President of the Prince George’s County Coach’s Association Ed Shields said to the crowd, “his best work was done with those kids. [Football] was secondary to him. This was the only guy that I know from top to bottom cared about those kids. … God called him home because his work was done, but it still hurts today.”

Two words uttered by every past and present Suitland football player included that of father figure. Yes, he may have been a coach, yes, he may have been tough, but more importantly he was that of a father for so many.

“Coach Lynch was like another father to me,” senior Anthony Bush said to the crowd in his efforts to find words.

“These past four years of my high-school career he has always been there for me,” Bush continued. “He made sure I was alright, he always checked on me, I still can’t believe that he is gone.”

Fossett announced Friday night that the Suitland High School football field will be re-named David “Nick” Lynch Memorial Stadium.

But, going through the crowds and catching conversations within an earshot, many will remember coach Lynch, stadium, no stadium, football or not football.

“Nick was a good friend to anyone that he met,” Fossett said later in his speaking to the crowd. ” … What I want everyone here tonight to remember is that it is hard to understand why things happen sometimes, but it is not for us to question.

“It’s God’s plan. Nick was a part of God’s plans. No matter how much it hurts us, we have to understand that is was God’s plan.”

Lynch was the second Prince George’s County head coach to pass away in less than a month.

Northwestern boys’ basketball head coach Gerald Moore passed away on Dec. 11 due to an apparent heart attack.

Before taking the job at Northwestern, Moore led the Friendly Patriots to back-to-back titles in 2003 in class 3A and in 2004 in 2A.

To paraphrase a co-worker of mine, God must have had a couple of coaching spots available in heaven, and indeed got two of the best.

To have respective thoughts posted on DigitalSports about Coach Lynch or Coach Moore, e-mail James A. McCray III