John Lynch’s football career seemed to be nearing its conclusion in 1992 when he spent the summer as a successful starting pitcher in Class A ball for the expansion Florida Marlins.
Lynch had come to Stanford as a quarterback and was converted to a part-time safety role under coach Dennis Green when he got a phone call that summer from the assistant for new Cardinal coach Bill Walsh, who had returned to Palo Alto after leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles.