Longtime football coach Carlin Lynch passes away

One of the most well-known coaching legends in Dartmouth has passed away: Carlin Lynch.

Lynch died overnight on Jan. 14. He was 84 years old. The long-serving athletic director at both Bishop Stang High School and Dartmouth High School had left his mark in both his athletic leadership and personality.

At Dartmouth High, Lynch served as Athletic Director for 29 years, from 1970 to 1999. He established many of Dartmouth High’s top sports programs, including girls track, ice hockey, lacrosse soccer, and sailing.

Lynch was Dartmouth High’s head football coach for 36 years, amassing an impressive 202-79-9 record. His leadership earned the team 14 league championships, six undefeated seasons, five Super Bowls, and four state championship wins.

Although current Athletic Director Jeff Caron joined the staff at Dartmouth High as Lynch was ending his career, Caron got to know him through his work with the bridge program.

“Even in that role, he was just fantastic,” Caron said. “He just really got through to the kids.”

Caron said Lynch’s legacy still carries weight at the high school, especially in his own department.

“Beyond winning, which he did an awful lot of, he was just a real presence here,” Caron said. “He got respect. His legacy continues today. Even though he hasn’t worked as the Athletic Director in 20 years, the culture that was built by him will be here for years to come.”

Prior to his career at Dartmouth High, Lynch was Bishop Stang's founding athletic director, and also coached the football team.

At Stang, his name is immortalized in the athletic department's awards program. At Dartmouth High, the high school gymnasium was named the "Carlin Lynch Activity Center" in the mid-2000s.