Marshawn Lynch Beast Mode Run

Lore & Background

Lynch grew up in Oakland, California, with three older siblings. He was raised by his mother, Delisa, who once held a 200-meter track record at Oakland Technical High School. Lynch started playing youth football in Oakland at a young age. Lynch attended and graduated from the same high school as his mother, Oakland Technical High School, from 2000 to 2004.

At Oakland Tech, Lynch was a four-sport star for the Bulldogs football, basketball, track, and wrestling teams. In his 2003 season, Lynch amassed 1,722 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in only eight regular-season games and an additional 375 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in two postseason games. He was voted a PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American and was also voted the San Francisco East Bay Player of the Year. In basketball, he played on the Oakland Tech's team alongside future Cal star Leon Powe.

Lynch helped lead his team to the state semi-finals. As an athlete in the Bay Area, Lynch befriended and often played against film director and writer Ryan Coogler; who also grew up in the same part of Oakland as Lynch. In addition to football, Lynch excelled in track and field, where he competed mainly as a sprinter, but also in jumping events. He recorded a personal-best time of 10.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash as a senior, while also posting top-leaps of 1.94 meters (6 ft, 4 in) in the high jump and 6.38 meters (20 ft, 10 in) in the long jump.

Lynch was a versatile athlete on the football field. He played defensive back, quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker in high school. Rivals.com recruiting network had him ranked #2 in the nation at running back behind Adrian Peterson. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in social welfare and played for the Golden Bears football team from 2004 to 2006. In 2020, he received an honorary degree from Princeton University after he was invited to be the Class of 2020 speaker.

Reader's Guide

Lynch played college football for the California Golden Bears from 2004 to 2006. As a true freshman in 2004, he was the primary backup to senior J. J. Arrington, carrying 71 times for 628 yards with eight rushing touchdowns and 147 yards on 19 receptions and two receiving touchdowns. In 2005, he became the starting running back, amassing 1,246 rushing yards with 10 rushing touchdowns on 196 carries and 125 receiving yards on 15 receptions, despite missing two games due to a hand and finger injury.

In 2006, he led the Pac-10 with 1,356 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 34 receptions, 328 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. He holds the Cal school record for most 100-yard rushing games with 17. Lynch was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He agreed to a six-year, $18.935 million contract with a $3 million signing bonus and $10.285 million in total guarantees.

In his first career regular-season game on September 9, 2007, he gained 90 yards on 19 carries and scored his first touchdown in a 14–15 loss to the Denver Broncos. His breakout game came on November 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, rushing 29 times for 153 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown.