SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Vinny Lynch '77
It might be said that Vinny's being named one of Sidney's best athletes ever was not nearly as hard as being considered one of the best athletes in the Lynch family. There were eight boys and they all had talents to offer the Sidney athletic program.
And despite obvious comparisons with brothers older or younger, Vin managed to be his own person and a humble one at that.
We should note here that Vinny is the first SCSAA Sports Hall of Fame inductee who played each sport for a current Hall of Fame coach: Bill Davidson, Jack Jones, and Doug Quinney.
Vinny's first sport of prominence in the varsity ranks was cross country. Under the guidance of Coach Davidson, he ran two years with a solid group of older runners as a freshman and sophomore.
In the spring outdoor track & field seasons, Vinny turned his attention not to running but to the high jump. And by his junior year he and Bob Hayward had become friendly rivals who challenged each other in practice as well as meets for team supremacy. This tandem of talent did have a unique "secret" training regimen set up for them by Coach Quinney (perhaps the secret will be revealed tonight!). Usually the winner between these two would win their event in any dual-meet, tri-meet, invitational or league competition. Bob set the school record in 1976 as a senior, Vinny surpassed that mark with a 6'4" clearance in his senior season.
Coincidentally, it was his nephew Pat - known as Little Pat in family circles - who finally eclipsed Vin's mark ten years later.
But it will always be basketball that best suits Vinny Lynch for Hall of Fame induction. Pretty good, too, when you consider he only had two varsity seasons under coach Jones. It was at the height of the Sidney hoop dominance of the 1970's, so sophomores played on JV with only rare exceptions.
No matter. Once Vinny claimed his starting spot during the 1975-76 season, there was no giving it up. That season was Sidney's highest scoring output of all time, with 3 games over 100 points and a league average that hovered at 90 points for most of that winter. Vin was named to the Susquenango League Western Division First team, along with teammates Bob Hayward (MVP) and Rick Mirabito.
The Warriors suffered only two losses that season, both were considered "classics" by fans and coaches of the time. The first was before 2,000 people in the finals of the Oneonta Christmas Tournament, the second in the Section 4 Class A finals at the West Gym at SUNY-Binghamton to Elmira Notre Dame. WCHN Radio in Norwich awarded Vinny with their "Most Improved" trophy following that memorable season.
When the 1976-77 season rolled around, Vinny was the only returning starter and his responsibilities increased substantially. He accepted that challenge and was named Sus West MVP. WCHN honored him likewise with their MVP award, signifying excellence throughout the Tri-County area. While Sidney could not match the previous year's success, they still won the Western Division title. Of particular note that season, the outdated no-dunk rule was finally removed from the books. To no one's surprise, it was Vinny who officially christened the rim during a home game after a steal in the open court - it brought the rowdy Warrior fans to their feet!
It was obvious Vinny's athletic abilities and high academic standing could be of use at the next level and he found the perfect fit at the University of Rochester. There, he played four years (1977-81), starting for most of his team's games. Two highlights in that career would have to be facing LeMoyne College - and guarding former Sidney hoop great Jene Grey - and getting to play against national power University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Immediately after college, Vin started his career with Amphenol, actually Bendix Connector Operations at that time. He is still there 26 years later, though his roles and titles have changed along the way: Field Sales Engineer, Regional Manager, and (currently) Boeing Program Manager. He has lived in Sidney, New Jersey, St. Louis and for the last 18 years in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
As Boeing Project Manager, Vinny works to ensure Amphenol product is utilized on all new airplane development efforts. His current focus is on the new Boeing 787 airplane.
He has been married to Alice since 1987 and together they have 12-year old Rachel.
Vinny played some recreational basketball until he felt he could not maintain the level of play he had worked so hard to reach in his younger years. So while most in his position would take up golf or some less rigorous sport, Vin took up backpacking, bicycling and ... triathlons!
He has completed Ironman USA (1999) and continues to do several shorter races each year, such as Half Ironman and Olympic distance races.
Vinny Lynch is likely to accept this award as a representative of his parents (Howard and Kate Lynch) and brothers (Dan, Tim, Pete, Pat, Mike, Joe and Matt), all of whom he'd say had a major part in him becoming who he was then and is now. Tonight, he becomes a Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Famer. Congratulations!