Shining example: BV grad Lynn was standout on and off the football field
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Spencer Lynn is shown during his days playing for California University of Pa.
Submitted photo
Spencer Lynn was a two-year captain for Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 football team where he played fullback and linebacker.
Former Belle Vernon football standout Spencer Lynn has set a shining example both on and off the field.
Lynn got an early start with football.
无毛视频淚 started playing football when I was four years old,无毛视频� Lynn recalled. 无毛视频淚 started playing flag football in the Rostraver Township Youth Football League. I literally played every year from the time I was four until I was 23. From the time I was young I played baseball until I was in ninth grade. Up until that point I was probably a significantly better baseball player than I was a football player. I just didn无毛视频檛 like baseball as much as I did football to be honest.无毛视频�
Lynn was a three-year varsity football letterman at Belle Vernon, serving as team captain in both his junior and senior campaigns. Lynn was a fullback on offense, but he was more known for his play at middle linebacker.
He played under Lou Rood for two seasons and then Aaron Krepps on Belle Vernon squads that posted records of 5-5 in 2007, 4-6 in 2008 and 5-5 in 2009.
无毛视频淚t was a transition period,无毛视频� Lynn remembered. 无毛视频淣aturally when a coaching change occurs it takes a little bit of time for things to kind of transition over. The new culture, the new personalities and the new playbook. But I think with Coach Krepps it was bigger than that, he brought a different culture back to the Belle Vernon program that I think Coach Humbert has since only continued to improve upon. I think that originally started when Coach Krepps came back.无毛视频�
A two-year team captain Lynn is very proud of that honor.
无毛视频淚t was pretty cool,无毛视频� Lynn stated. 无毛视频淎t the time it was pretty rare to be a two-year captain. I don无毛视频檛 know if it still is or not, but I was very proud of that. I was never really a vocal outspoken guy, I just led by example.
无毛视频淚 was a two-way player and, it无毛视频檚 funny, I played fullback and linebacker and every special teams unit. My junior and senior years I never came off the field the entire game. I definitely liked defense better. I liked playing fullback a lot, but I did not like running the ball, I liked blocking and we had a pretty good tailback in Matt Green. I loved blocking for him. I did not like running the ball.无毛视频�
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Lynn garnered some honors in high school. He was a two-time All-Big 7 Conference linebacker and defensive MVP as a senior. During his senior year, he was Pennsylvania Football News无毛视频� First-Team Academic All-State and Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year. Lynn was selected to play in the Tri-County Coaches Association Football Classic, where he served as the team captain. He is proud that he helped bring Belle Vernon football back to being competitive.
无毛视频淭here was light at the end of the tunnel and that无毛视频檚 a good way to put it,无毛视频� Lynn said. 无毛视频淭he underclassmen on that team had so much potential and they obviously did go on to continue to push the program in the right direction.
无毛视频淏rett Berish is still defensive coordinator at Belle Vernon and he was a big influence on me. One of his lines that he still uses to this day was 无毛视频榣eave the program in better hands than it was left to you无毛视频� and that was exactly what our goal was.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 proud of the honors I achieved especially the academic honor. I无毛视频檝e always taken pride in my academics.无毛视频�
After graduating from Belle Vernon in 2010 Lynn wound up playing college football at California University of Pennsylvania under John Luckhardt and then Mike Kellar.
无毛视频淭here were probably 10 schools that offered me a scholarship,无毛视频� Lynn explained. 无毛视频淢y final three were Albany, Cal U and Seton Hill. Cal was a dominant program at that time and being close to home and how good Cal U was I knew I was going to go there and be part of a winning team every year.无毛视频�
Lynn无毛视频檚 standout play at middle linebacker translated well to the collegiate level where he was a three-year starter at Cal U. As a senior, he was a Capital One Academic All-American, a Capital One All-District player, and was a member of the All-PSAC West First Team. Lynn earned the title of USA Division II College Football 1st Team All-American, and as a result, he was selected to play in the USA College Football All-American Bowl at Cowboy Stadium in Texas where he was also awarded the defensive MVP. Spencer finished his career with 240 tackles.
The Vulcans posted a record of 33-14 during Lynn无毛视频檚 time at Cal U.
无毛视频淚 definitely accomplished my goal of wanting to be a part of a winning program,无毛视频� Lynn said. 无毛视频淚t was such a cool experience getting to go down and play in Cowboy无毛视频檚 Stadium in 2014. That is something I will never forget.无毛视频�
After graduating from Cal U in 2014, Lynn played professionally as a player-coach for the Osnabruck Tigers in Germany.
无毛视频淚 did get a tryout with Edmonton of the CFL,无毛视频� Lynn offered. 无毛视频淭here was a website called Euro Players and you put in your info and European teams recruit players off of that. Some other players from Cal U played over there. It was a great experience.无毛视频�
Lynn also served as an assistant coach at BVA in 2015 where he coached special teams and inside linebackers for the Big 8 Conference Champion Leopards before joining the U.S Army in 2016. He served five years as an Infantry Officer in the U.S Army where he graduated first in his class in Officer Candidate School.
He completed US Army Jungle School where he is known as a Jungle War Expert, earning himself the 无毛视频淏lack Jungle Flag.无毛视频� He presented the honorable flag to Coaches Humbert and Berish to demonstrate to current BVA players what alumni can accomplish. The current team carries this flag out onto the field every time they play on Friday Nights.
Lynn would go on to be awarded multiple medals for his time in the Army. 1st Lieutenant Lynn completed his service with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
无毛视频淏oth my grandfathers served in the Army,无毛视频� Lynn stated. 无毛视频淚 kind of felt that it was a calling, something I had to do. I felt a sense of obligation to do it.无毛视频�
The Spencer Lynn Excellence in Leadership Award is awarded in his honor to the area high school senior who demonstrates both excellence on the field and going above and beyond off the field as a leader.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 pretty cool and it无毛视频檚 a huge honor,无毛视频� Lynn said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 fitting too, because its a leadership award and not going to (necessarily) the best player, it无毛视频檚 going to the best leader. The one that others look towards when times are tough. I was not the best player, but people looked to me as a leader.无毛视频�
Lynn is now an avid endurance athlete and completed in his first Ironman Triathlon on his 29th birthday.
Now 31, Lynn resides in Peters Township with his wife of two years Jamie and they are expecting a baby boy due in September.
Lynn works as the Northeast Regional Manager for KOS Naturals. He is a volunteer assistant coach at his collegiate alma mater Cal U.
Looking back Lynn is very pleased with what he has accomplished.
无毛视频淟ife is great,无毛视频� Lynn said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 happy, but not satisfied, I无毛视频檓 never content. There is always something more to do.无毛视频�