NFL
Marshawn Lynch Got Ready For NFL Action With Following an Alcoholic Pregame Superstition
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished04 Dec 2020
When you think of professional athletes and their diets, vegetables and lean proteins probably are at the top of the shopping list. Marshawn Lynch, however, did things a bit differently. During his time with the Seattle Seahawks, the running back was known to enjoy some Skittles at any possible opportunity. Now, it seems like that candy wasn’t his only indulgence.
On an episode of Peyton’s Places, Manning asked the running back if he had any particular pregame rituals. Marshawn Lynch then revealed that he wouldn’t hit the field without following a very specific—and alcohol-infused—tradition.
Marshawn Lynch had a successful NFL career
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These days, most NFL teams don’t build their offenses around running backs. That reality, however, didn’t prevent Marshawn Lynch from having an impressive football career.
Lynch made a name for himself at Cal, where he piled up 3,230 yards and 29 touchdowns during three NCCA seasons. On the back of that success, he entered into the 2009 NFL draft and joined the Buffalo Bills as the 12th-overall pick.
After three full seasons in New York, Lynch was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks; there, he would explode onto the scene as a force of nature. The running back literally caused an earthquake during the 2010 season and followed that up with four straight campaigns with more than 1,200 rushing yards. The Seahawks also lifted the Lombardi Trophy in February 2014.
In 2016, however, Lynch retired. His time on the sidelines would only last one year, though, as he joined the Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2017 campaign. He failed to recapture his past form, though, and retired again; barring a brief cameo with the Seahawks in 2019, he seems to be done with football for good.
In all, Lynch played 149 games in the NFL. He carried the ball 2,453 times, piling up 10,413 rushing yards and 85 rushing touchdowns.
Powered by Skittles
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During his time in the NFL, Marshawn Lynch made a name for himself with his powerful ‘Beast Mode’ runs. The Seattle Seahawks star, however, also became known for another thing: his love of Skittles.
As a boy, Lynch struggled often struggled with an upset stomach before his Pop Warner football games. After running out of conventional remedies, his mother gave him some candy; after that helped Marshawn, he started eating Skittles before each game. He carried that tradition all the way to the pros, where he could be seen tasting the rainbow on the sidelines.
Sugary candy wasn’t the running back’s only indulgence, though. He also needed some alcohol to wet his whistle before hitting the gridiron.
Marshawn Lynch would take a shot of Hennessy before each game
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On an episode of Peyton’s Places, Peyton Manning and Marshawn Lynch discussed their preferred pregame superstitions. As you’d probably expect, the two men have very different habits.
While Manning liked to “read the program front to back” before taking the field. Lynch, on the other hand, explained that he “needed to have maybe a shot, a shot and a half, before every game.”
At that point, Manning needed clarification; in his mind, Lynch was taking a sip of something like Gatorade or Toradol. The running back, however, clarified that he only took shots of Hennessy. “The bar was in my backpack,” he explained.
Hennessy and Skittles sound like the recipe for an upset stomach more than anything else. For Marshawn Lynch, though, that was the fuel for an impressive NFL career.
Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference and Pro-Football-Reference
