15 Things You Didn't Know About Marshawn Lynch

To commemorate Marshawn Lynch's 29th birthday today, here are 15 things you probably didn't know about the Seahawks running back.

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Complex Original

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You know why we're here. Today is Marshawn Lynch's 29th birthday! Now, even though Lynch has made it clear with his one-word press conference responses and unintentional catch phrases that he isn't one for the spotlight, it's only right that we show our appreciation for Beast Mode on the day he was born. Now, how should we go about doing this? By trying to pull this stunt off without getting arrested? 

No, no, no, no. Instead, let's commemorate Beast Mode by digging up a few tidbits of information you may not know about the five time Pro Bowler. From being cousins with JaMarcus Russell to letting a student from his high school whip his Benz to the prom, here are 15 Things You Didn't Know About Marshawn Lynch.

JaMarcus Russell and Marshawn Lynch are cousins.

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Lynch didn't realize Buffalo was not in New York City until he landed in Buffalo.

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Before he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 2007 NFL Draft, Lynch knew nothing about life on the East Coast. Living in Oakland up until college and playing for the Pac-12's University of California, Berkeley will do that to you. In his E:60 profile, 'Shawn admitted that after hearing former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith call his name, all he knew was that he was going to New York. He thought that meant New York City.  

"I thought I was gonna be out there with Jay Z," Lynch says, with a laugh. "And then, when I finally landed in Buffalo, aww man, it was like, slush on the ground. It just finished snowing. I didn't know nothing about no snow." Life comes at you fast. 

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Growing up, Marshawn's nickname was “Sh*tty.”

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His change to No. 10 at Cal put him in sequence with his cousins.

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His maternal grandfather thinks he knows why Marshawn doesn't talk to the media.

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Since he was a child, Lynch's father, Maurice Sapp, has been in and out of prison. As a result, the Seahawks running back's maternal grandfather, Leroy Lynch, became a father figure in his life. So much so that Marshawn calls him "Papa." While speaking USA TODAY Sports, Leroy revealed that an incident during Lynch's freshman year at Oakland Technical High School with a player on the opposing team may be the reason why Lynch doesn't talk to the media. 


"The guy jumped all on (Lynch) and beat him in the face," Papa said. "Then he got up, and he said, 'Man, you guys sure are dirty.'


"So I went down on the field, and he was sitting with his helmet off, (and) I put my hand on his shoulder. And I said, 'Look, let me tell you something. I don't ever want to hear you say nothing during a game. All I want you to do when you're back hit the ground, just jump up. Any means you can, your knees, your elbows, your arms, whatever. Just keep your mouth shut and get them off of you, get up. Soon as they tackle you, you come right back up.'"

As he prepared a lemon cake, one of his grandson's favorite desserts, the now 73-year-old Leroy says it was that moment, coupled with his "aversion to star treatment by the news media," which could very well be the reason why he prefers to give the media the one-word/phrase treatment. 

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He got his first grill at 12 years old and accidentally threw it out in less than a year.

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Lynch's favorite run isn't from the NFL or college, but from high school.

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His love for Skittles nearly never happened.

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If he wasn't a running back, Marshawn would want to be a “rover.”

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He was getting pulled over so much by officers when he played for the Bills that he called for a meeting with the chief of police.

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He told his mom, Delisa, at 12 years old, that he was going to the NFL and would buy her a house.

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Lynch once let a student from his former high school drive his Mercedez-Benz to the prom.

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He used to be known as Marshawn Sapp-Lynch.

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Before picking University of California, Berkeley, Lynch also considered going to Oregon.

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He pulled off a very elaborate prank on his agent before filming his cameo on "The League"

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Lynch's brief appearance on The League was entertaining, but what happened before was even more entertaining, depending on who you ask. In an interview with Field Gulls, show co-creator Jeff Schaffer discusses the roller coaster of emotion that went into getting Marshawn on the set. 

The plan was to have him on set the Tuesday after the Seattle Seahawks' contest against the St. Louis since that day is usually an off-day for the players. However, Lynch tweaked his back during the game and wouldn't be able to fly over to L.A. because he needed treatment. Resigned to the fact that Marshawn would not be able to make a cameo, The League went on without him and wrapped shooting. One day after wrapping, Schaffer received a phone call saying that he could do it. 

According to Lynch's agent, he was expected to fly in on Monday night from San Francisco and be on set at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning. At 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Schaffer received a text from his agent informing him that he missed last night's flight would be arriving at 9:20 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., Schaffer reaches out to Marshawn's agent to see if everything is going as planned. "Well, my other client—Cooper Helfett—was supposed to drive him. I'm trying to call Cooper, I haven't heard from him," he said. "Marshawn's phone is off, so I'm assuming he's on the flight."

Schaffer arrives on set and no ones knows where Lynch is. Then, he gets a phone call. It's his agent, Doug Hendrickson. 


"Jeff, on the phone with him now. His uncle got in an accident on the way to the airport this morning. They're both okay but as a result his phone was in the car and the car was towed, that's why it was off. He called me from the accident and that was the missed call from 5:30 AM. He just got the phone out of the car now, he feels terrible.


"Also, it's a long story, but he's still in Seattle. Totally sucks. Can't apologize enough."

Thirty minutes later, Hendrickson calls again. "Well, I guess if you're a client for 10 years, you're allowed to fuck with your agent. Marshawn's been here the whole time. He just walked up and met me in the lobby." It turns out Lynch did get in the night before and decided to pull a prank on his agent by making up an elaborate story and then walking up to him once the car from the production was scheduled to pick him up and go to set. 

Beast Mode on the field...and with the pranks. 

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