Chances are, you probably don't know a whole lot about new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn. After crafting a 7-year NFL career out of an undrafted free agent beginning, Lynn has coached the entirety of his 17-year coaching career in the NFL.
But Lynn's path to his first head coaching position is a remarkable one, and it has positively nothing to do with his career path.
Raised by a single mother, Lynn would often have to hitch a ride to school. If none were available, he walked. Lynn attended Celina High School, a rural Texas high school powerhouse, which led him to Texas Tech, then the NFL.
Lynn was coaching for the Dallas Cowboys when he was hit by a drunk driver, an accident that nearly took his life. Walking with fellow Cowboys assistants one night after training camp in 2005, former Cowboys assistant and current Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley recalled to the Los Angeles Times how he nearly watched his friend die before his eyes.
“I knew the car was coming fast and I heard a sound and thought it had hit some trash cans or something. When I turned and looked, Anthony was cartwheeling through the air. Then I watched him hit head first into the mirror of a parked car that was along the street.
“I had to run probably 20 yards to get to him. I’m thinking he’s dead for sure as I’m running and yelling. There were a lot of people walking around, and I’m yelling. The car stopped for a second and then took off. I’m yelling, ‘Call an ambulance! Call the police! Go after that guy! Get towels!’ It was awful.”
Lynn survived -- obviously -- and now has a story that will have you rooting for him.