This is the second day in a row where we have a Running Back retiring from the National Football League.  Following yesterday’s retirement of longtime Carolina Panther, Jonathan Stewart, Oakland Raiders Running Back, Marshawn Lynch will be retiring from the game for a second time.

Lynch was drafted 12^thoverall in 2007 by the Buffalo Bills where as a rookie he rushed for 1,115 Yards, and in his second season, he again hit 1,000 Yards (1,036) and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.  He did not have a great 2009, and early in the 2010 season, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for two mid-round draft picks, which would prove to be beneficial for Seattle and Lynch and one that Bills fans still bemoan today.

With the Seahawks, he became a star, and his “Beast Mode” nickname became known through every NFL fanbase.  Lynch returned to the Pro Bowl in 2011 with a 1,204 Rushing Yard, 12 TD performance and in 2012 he was even better going for 1,590 Rushing Yards with 11 Touchdowns. Not only did he go to the Pro Bowl he was also a First Team All-Pro.  

Lynch would again have more than 1,000 Receiving Yards in the next two years, but this time he helped take Seattle to the Super Bowl those seasons.  The Seahawks would win Super Bowl XLVIII in a dismantling of the Denver Broncos but they would fail in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. In that contest, Lynch had rushed for 102 Yards and a Touchdown but on Seattle’s final offensive play of the game they threw a pass instead of run (they were on New England’s 1-yard line) in a play that everyone thought should have gone to Lynch.

Injuries kept Lynch out of half of the 2015 season and he retired from the game but not all sports retirements stick.  After sitting out the 2016 season he returned to the game, this time signing with the Oakland Raiders where he would play the last two years.

Lynch played in 148 Games, rushing for 10,379 Yards and 84 Touchdowns and he would also record another 287 Receptions for 2,214 Yards and 9 Touchdowns. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Marshawn Lynch for the incredible on the field memories, his always entertaining banter with reporters, skittles and of course, “Beast Mode”.   We wish Marshawn Lynch the best in post-playing career and are certain that whatever he does next it will be entertaining!

Thank you, Marshawn!

We have another retirement to look at as Jonathan Stewart has just announced his departure from playing professional football.  He signed a one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers allowing him to sign with the team that drafted him.

Stewart was drafted by Carolina 13^thoverall in 2008 out of Oregon and he had a good rookie season with 836 Yards with 10 Touchdowns.  He matched his TD total in 2009 and would have a career high 1,113 Yards in 2010.  While Stewart was often sharing the load, he was consistent for the Panthers and over his ten seasons there he would accumulate 7,318 Rushing Yards with another 1,295 Yards coming by way of the air.   Stewart was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015.  He finished his career playing for the New York Giants last season.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Jonathan Stewart the best in post-playing career.  

In a recent interview with TMZ, Lou Williams was asked if he was a Hall of Famer.  He had this to say:

"Yeah, I've seen guys in the Hall of Fame with less. I've put the work in," 

Is Williams a Hall of Famer?  At this stage he isn’t.  He is a two-time Sixth Man of the Year and has averaged over 20 Points per Game the last two seasons and has advanced numbers that are decent with a career PER of 18.5, with him exceeding the 20 mark the last three years.  At age 32, Williams is playing the best basketball of his career but without an All-Star appearance, an All-NBA selection or a championship he has a long road ahead of him.  College and International accomplishments count for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame but Williams does not have any of those to help.

According to Basketball Reference and their Hall of Fame meter, he has only a 0.0004 percent chance (which we find low) to gain induction but he has a lot of career left and we love to watch him play.  We will be watching!

The University of Kentucky has announced their Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

The UK Hall of Fame was instituted in 2005.  The Class will be officially inducted on September 13 and 14 in conjunction with Kentucky’s football home game against Florida.

The new class is:

DeMarcus Cousins, Men’s Basketball:  Cousins played one season with the Wildcats Basketball team where he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and took Kentucky a number 1 ranking and the SEC Championship.  “Boogie” would average 15.1 Points and 9.9 Rebounds per Game. He would be drafted fifth overall in the NBA Draft and has been a four time All Star.

Henri Junghanel, Rifle:  From Germany, Henri Junghanel would be a four-time All-American would lead Kentucky to the 2011 National Championship.  He would be named the World Shooter of the Year in 2013 and would later win the Olympic Gold Medal in the 50 meter rifle prone event.

A'dia Mathies, Women’s Basketball:  Mathies was the SEC Player of the Year twice (2012 & 2013) and was a finalist both years for the John R. Wooden and the Naismith Trophy.  She is the all-time university leader in Steals (320) and Games Played (140) and she is second in scoring with 2,014 Points.

Vic Nelson, Cross Country:  Nelson won seven SEC individual championships and he would win the SEC cross country championship in 1969.

Don Weber, Track and Field & Coach:  Weber was a coach on the University of Kentucky for 34 Years.  He was a three-time SEC Women’s Coach of the Year and two-time SEC Women’s Coach of the Year.

Andre Woodson, Football:  Woodson was the UK MVP in both 2006 and 2007 where he took the Wildcats to the Music City Bowl twice where he would lead them to victory on both occasions.  He threw for 9,360 Yards and 79 Touchdowns as a Wildcat.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the soon to be UK Class of 2019.