In a league of boisterous personalities, Marshawn Lynch was an eccentric standout from the norm. He shied away from reporters, at times visibly uncomfortable around them, and tried to keep a low profile off the field. The 215-pound running back snacked on Skittles on the sidelines during games and warmed up wearing a strange Bane-style mask, which he claimed was to simulate high-altitude environments.
But Lynch was an invaluable asset in helping the Seattle Seahawks to the team's first ever Super Bowl title in 2014, and while he chased privacy off the field, he more than made up for with attention-grabbing plays and antics on it.
The running back was picked in the first round of the 2007 by the Buffalo Bills, but he had already coined what would become a nickname throughout his NFL career: Beast Mode. He used the term to describe his play style to a reporter at a pre-draft combine.
These are some of our favourite Marshawn Lynch moments.
Injury cart ride
Playing college football at the University of California, Berkeley, after a win over the Washington Huskies, Lynch commandeered a cart used to wheel injured players off the field, taking it for a joyride.
Marshawn Lynch of the California Golden Bears celebrates by driving a golf cart on the field after an interception by Desomond Bishop secured the 31-24 victory in overtime against the Washington Huskies on October 21, 2006 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Skittles endorsement
Lynch was known for eating skittles on the sidelines during games and at press conferences. Eventually, in 2014, the company came around and signed an official endorsement deal with the running back, ponying-up some cash for what had previously been free advertising. The deal also came with a pair of Skittles-patterned cleats for Lynch and one of his more jovial press conferences.
'I'm just here so I won't get fined'
Through the 2014/15 season, Lynch became in embattled in a strange tug of war with the press, refusing the answer questions, at one point being fined $100,000 US, and rarely giving reporters answers longer than a few words.
This went on week after week before culminating at the 2015 Super Bowl media day where he answered every question with a variation of the now-famous line "I'm just here so I won't get fined."
Marshawn Lynch stonewalls reporters at Super Bowl Media Day3:57
Mortal Kombat showdown
In a stroke of marketing genius, someone convinced Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and Lynch to sit down with Conon O'Brien days before they were set to play the 2015 Super Bowl and test out the then-unreleased Mortal Kombat X.
Bane mask
Further stretching the Beast Mode moniker, towards the end of his career Lynch got in the habit of wearing a strange altitude mask during pre-game warmups.
His Beast Mode running
Beyond all of this, Lynch will be remembered as one of the best running backs to play the game because he was very, very good at it, becoming known for his strength and breaking multiple tackles in single runs.
His most memorable run, referred to as Beast Quake, saw him break a string of nine tackles during the 2011 NFC wild card game against the New Orleans Saints. The crowd at CenturyLink Field in Seattle became so rowdy after the play it caused a small spike in a nearby seismograph.
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