Chargers coach Lynn to get college degree 26 years later
COSTA MESA — Anthony Lynn left Texas Tech in 1992 for a life in the NFL, he was only six class hours shy of earning his degree.
Although he won two Super Bowl rings as a running back before beginning a coaching career that eventually put him in charge of the Los Angeles Chargers last season, Lynn never forgot about missing his college graduation.
On Saturday, the Chargers’ 49-year-old head coach will take that long-delayed walk to get his diploma when he receives his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at UNLV.
“Football has always been my No. 1 priority, and sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad,” the Chargers’ head coach said Friday after running a workout with their rookies and undrafted free agents. “But I chose football over education. I thought, at some point, ‘No more excuses. Just go back and get it done.’”
While he led the Chargers to a 9-7 record last season, Lynn was also hitting the books. He spent the past 18 months completing his coursework while simultaneously navigating his first head coaching job.
Lynn didn’t say much about his studies to his Chargers assistants or players, but he strategized like any good coach to manage his workload. With the help of a counselor, Lynn used a fiveweek down period in last summer’s schedule to line up his daily educational goals and deadlines for the following year.
“It requires you to be a master planner,” Lynn said with a grin.
He recently completed his 30-page capstone research project about the challenges and pitfalls facing athletes as they make the transition into post-competitive life. After starting out with the goal of learning more about the mental health of athletes with head injuries, Lynn eventually took 30 hours of online classes in subjects such as sociology, public health and psychology.
“Mental health is broader than what I thought,” Lynn said. “Things like identity crisis. Things like boredom with athletes post-career, and how that can lead to other sicknesses that are sometimes fatal. So that’s probably the biggest thing I learned.”