Seahawks Legend Marshawn Lynch, SUBWAY Team Up to Help High School Standouts Go Pro
Throughout his 12-year NFL career, Marshawn Lynch made a living barreling over defenders and sending would-be tacklers airborne with vicious stiff arms. Running with unprecedented power, he authored several of the most iconic runs in league history, including the famous seismic reading-inducing "Beast Quake" in the 2010 wild card round when he seemingly broke a million tackles to help the Seahawks cap off a historic upset over the Saints.
But when asked to reflect on the best runs that defined his football career, "Beast Mode" takes a trip down memory lane. Long before he starred for Seattle or made a name for himself starring in Berkeley for the California Bears collegiately, he was imposing his will on defenders as a five-star recruit at Oakland Tech High School.
Lynch scored 33 touchdowns during his senior season with the Bulldogs, including 10 in the playoffs. One of those scores stood out above the rest and hearing the former All-Pro running back reminisce about the play nearly 20 years later makes it feel as if it happened just yesterday.
"A lot of people would say the 'Beast Quake' was the one," Lynch said. "But I had a run in high school during my senior year in the Raiders [stadium], the Coliseum. We were playing our championship game against a school that is known for winning. We call it the Silver Bowl. At this point in time, my high school has never won a championship. We were tied up, we're closing in and I had a 46-yard [touchdown] run. That's probably, I think that's when it just clicked like 'okay, this is a defining moment of how I'm going to be remembered."
"I mean, if I wouldn't have went and played no football afterward, in my city alone, I just would have been a legend based on that run. And so everything else was just extra."
Given his enthusiasm revisiting one of his favorite moments that made him a home town hero and his passion for helping young people achieve their dreams, it's only fitting Lynch and fellow Cal alum Keenan Allen have joined forces with SUBWAY to judge the Pro Teen Awards, which aims to recognize standout high school players and celebrate their go-pro aspirations.
Players from all over the United States can submit a video of their best pro moves, craziest catches, hardest tackles, and longest throws or kicks. Teens ages 15-18 are encouraged to submit their own entry, but coaches, teachers, parents, teammates, and friends can also submit entries for the contest on their behalf.
20 winners will be selected based on a three-part scoring system featuring public voting as well as judges' scoring from Lynch and Allen. Each will receive a $1,500 scholarship courtesy of Subway, a personalized video from Lynch, and an invite to a virtual awards ceremony with Allen.
This past year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many high school players had to forgo their seasons, including seniors. Having provided scholarships over the past 15 years through a talent showcase, Lynch felt obligated to become even more involved helping young athletes amid dire circumstances, especially those coming from backgrounds where they were already at a disadvantage.
"I know a lot of kids from my area, they kind of lose hope based off of just being in our environment and our neighborhood and our type of situation," Lynch explained. "So when you look at it, it's like on top of it, you hit me with this pandemic? Now if I was already feeling like I couldn't go no further, now I'm really in position where I feel like 'oh, this s--- is just over for me, like what the hell do I do?'"
As Lynch emphasized, for many of these teenagers, athletics present the roadmap to getting out of their current situations and advancing to college. He's hopeful that, through his partnership with SUBWAY, he will be able to help provide the spark for those who have lost hope during this crisis to resume pursuit of their dreams.
"I feel like this SUBWAY Pro Teen award is giving a little of 'em a little bit more fight to say, 'you know what? F--- that. I ain't gonna give up just like that. I'm going to continue to fight. And now I have an opportunity to go and win this award, I'm going to stay on my grind and stay committed to what I was doing because I feel like I'm able to get some s--- done.' And that's the feeling I want those kids to have."
Excited about the opportunity to watch all of the submissions from high school players from all over the country, Lynch cracked a smile and admitted he's "cheated" a bit by already watching some of them, including for players from the Oakland region. He and Allen will comb through hundreds and thousands of entries over the next few weeks and will eventually have to settle on 20 of them as the winners.
Considering everything these athletes have endured over the past year - some will inevitably be sending highlights in from 2019 because they couldn't play this past fall - Lynch is thankful to be part of the initiative and have a "powerhouse" such as SUBWAY backing the contest. He's looking forward to the chance to make a real difference for a number of high school athletes in the process.
"It's a great opportunity for them to be on this platform to be able to have a chance to go ahead and win a little bit extra chicken for 'em when they do get school."
All players interested can submit their entries at the Subway Pro Teen Awards official site. The contest will run through Wednesday, February 6 and Allen will announce the winners virtually on Monday, February 22.
