Hall of Fame
Position: All-Purpose/Quarterback
Years: 2010-13
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Date of Birth: October 3, 1990
Jersey Number: 6
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Weight: 216 lbs
High School: Mount Carmel (Chicago)
Few players redefined the quarterback position like Jordan Lynch, whose dual-threat brilliance elevated Northern Illinois onto the national stage. The Chicago, Illinois, native now becomes just the second player in Huskies history to enter the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
A First Team Associated Press All-American in 2013 as an all-purpose player, Lynch finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ever finish for a player from the Mid-American Conference. A Second Team AP All-America pick in 2012, he became the first FBS player in history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in a season, accomplishing the feat by passing for 3,138 yards and rushing for 1,815. He also emerged as just the fifth player ever to record at least 20 rushing and 20 passing touchdowns in the same season. His totals made him just the fifth FBS player (and the fastest ever with just 28 starts) to compile at least 4,000 career rushing yards and 6,000 career passing yards.
A two-time finalist for the Manning Award and a finalist for the Walter Camp and Johnny Unitas awards in 2013, Lynch set five NCAA records, including quarterback rushing marks for a single game (321 yards) and a season (1,920 yards), and still ranks among the NCAA's all-time leaders in career rushing yards (4,343) by a quarterback. He still owns 25 school records, and he finished his career with 509 completions for 6,209 yards and 51 touchdowns while rushing 662 times for 4,343 yards and 48 touchdowns.
A two-time Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, two-time Vern Smith Leadership Award recipient, and two-time First Team All-MAC selection, Lynch led Northern Illinois to back-to-back MAC West titles in 2012 and 2013 and the MAC Championship in 2012. With Lynch under center, NIU became the first MAC program to earn a BCS bowl berth, culminating in an appearance at the 2013 Orange Bowl. Lynch never lost a MAC regular-season game as a starter, finishing 16–0 in conference play. Lynch compiled a remarkable 24-4 record as a starter, and he led NIU to two bowl appearances (2012, 2013). The Huskies earned a final ranking of No. 22 in 2012.
Lynch played in the Canadian Football League from 2015-17 for the Edmonton Eskimos, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the 2015 Grey Cup. He currently serves as head football coach at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago where he got his start. He has been inducted into the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame, the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Mount Carmel High School Hall of Fame.
