MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — On the eve of perhaps the biggest weekend of his life, Broncos Ring of Famer and 49ers general manager John Lynch was confident he would be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame “when it’s the right time.”
The two-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler is one of 15 men in the Hall of Fame’s history to be selected as a finalist for seven consecutive years.
Thirteen of those 15 men are now in the Hall of Fame. Only Lynch and guard Bob Kuechenberg remain outside of Canton.
“The numbers say it’s going to happen if I’ve made it this many times to this level,” Lynch told DenverBroncos.com on Friday. “So when it’s the right time, it’s going to happen, and I’m hopeful it’s this week, but we’ll see.”
Lynch joins Broncos Ring of Famer Steve Atwater and 13 others as the 15 finalists for Hall of Fame’s Modern-Era class. The selection committee will convene Saturday to choose as many as five of those finalists for induction later this year.
Atwater, who joined Lynch on Friday at the Merlin Olsen luncheon, seemed to have a similar perspective. The two-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler is a Hall of Fame finalist for the third time.