The only thing Marshawn Lynch loved more than scoffing Skittles was scoring touchdowns.
One of the NFL‘s most iconic running backs, Beast Mode racked up more than 10,000 yards across his 14-year career with the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders.
Lynch was in the prime of his career in Washington, when he was voted to four consecutive Pro Bowls, twice led the league in rushing touchdowns and helped the Seahawks secure their first — and only — Super Bowl triumph to date.
Oh, and he boasts the honor of being the only NFL star who ever caused an earthquake, too.
In the fourth quarter of the 2010–11 NFC Wild Card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, Lynch rushed for 67 yards and broke nine tackles to score a legendary touchdown, which secured Seattle’s eventual 41–36 victory.
His run sent fans inside Seattle’s home stadium wild, and it was later determined that crowd activity and noise was so great that a nearby Pacific Northwest Seismic Network station registered a small tremor at Qwest Field.
Thus, ‘Beast Quake’ was born, and that alone was enough to see him go down in history.
Lynch is undoubtedly a bona fide NFL legend, and alongside his powerful running, he was also iconic for some of his off-field behavior too.
Beast Mode takes golf cart for a spin
Long before he entered the NFL as the 12th overall pick in the 2007 draft, Lynch was wreaking havoc in college.
He rushed for 3,230 yards and 29 TDs in three seasons with the California Golden Bears, but his most iconic moment came after an overtime win against the Washington Huskies in 2006.
Lynch ran in a 22-yard score that ended up being the game-winner for Cal, and he celebrated by jumping into an unmanned cart, taking it for a little joyride.
He drove the vehicle across the field in what commentators described as ‘hysterical’ scenes.
To make the scene even funnier, Lynch was still wearing his full Golden Bears uniform.
Marshawn Lynch’s love for Skittles
Once he made it into the pros, it didn’t take long for Beast Mode to catch the eye — both on and off the field.
His love for Skittles certainly helped, and made him one of the most marketable stars of his era.
Lynch became synonymous with the brand in late 2011, when NFL cameras captured him eating on the sidelines of a nationally televised game.
That habit landed him a sweet brand deal, which saw him receive financial compensation for promoting the candy.
Ahead of Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, which saw the Seahawks dominate the Denver Broncos, Skittles made limited edition ‘Seattle Mix’ bags, which included only candies of blue and green colors.
Seahawks fans embraced Skittles as their own symbol of celebration too, offering their star running back ‘rainbow showers’ after touchdowns.
Lynch returned the favor after that Super Bowl win in 2014, when he threw candy into the 700,000-strong crowd at the victory parade.
Beast Mode’s big fine for touchdown celebration
While the Skittles were iconic, another of Lynch’s touchdown celebrations became even more infamous.
During a 2014 road game against the Arizona Cardinals, he bounced off multiple tackles on his way to a career-long 79-yard score.
The play was dubbed ‘Beast Quake 2.0’ — and the celebration was legendary in its own right.
As he reached the endzone, Lynch jumped up and fell back while extending the ball behind his head, grabbing his crotch at the same time.
The NFL considered his celebration an ‘obscene gesture’ to constitute unsportsmanlike conduct, and he was later fined $11,000.
Lynch followed that up with a $20,000 penalty for a similar gesture in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers that followed a month later.
As well as being penalized for his celebrations, the RB also racked up plenty of fines for refusing to speak to the media during Super Bowl week.
He told reporters, ‘I’m just here so I don’t get fined’ when he eventually turned up.
Truly, Lynch was a larger than life NFL character, both on and off the field.
We may never see the like of his earth-shaking runs — and love for Skittles — ever again.
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