By Dylan Butler
But this wasn't a typical Friday night. The main attraction this time wasn't the varsity game between St. Francis Prep and Xaverian, but rather the ceremony at halftime that honored a former student, a former player, a hero. At halftime, St. Francis Prep retired Michael Lynch's No. 24 jersey, the one he wore as a student in 1986. The Flushing native was one of 343 firefighters to die at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. That's why his former teammates were there Friday, why alums who didn't even know him were there Friday. That's why Stephan Pongnon made the trek up from Delaware to remember the kid he grew up with in Flushing, the youngest of eight children.”I had a fascination with Mike because I was an only child – I loved the Lynch family,” he said. “We were all altar boys and that's the amazing thing about Mike. He never changed throughout every part of his life.”While they were there to remember, Jack Lynch was there to get his first memory of the father he never knew. Jack was just six months old when his father and the other 14 members of Ladder 4 – including fellow Prep alum Michael Brennan – died that day. When Jack would ask his mother, Denise, about his father, she'd show him pictures of Michael holding baby Jack. But these pictures were not his memories. Those finally came Friday. After posing for pictures with his family, firefighters and Michael's former teammates, Jack couldn't harness his excitement. “Mommy, now I finally have something I can go and see to remember Daddy,” the 5-year-old told her.Michael Lynch's number wasn't retired because he was an All-City player or because he averaged 20 points per game. In fact, after two pretty good seasons on the freshman and junior varsity teams, he rarely stepped off the bench for Tim Leary's varsity squad. But that mattered little for him. “Mike did not lead the Catholic high school league in points, he didn't lead it in assists, he didn't lead the league in rebounds. He never made the All-League team, he wasn't named All-City,” said Bro. Robert Kent, former athletic director and currently the alumni director. “But in the game of life, he was an All-American.”After high school, Lynch went to SUNY-Albany and following his graduation in 1991, he joined the FDNY and was assigned to Ladder 4 on 48th Street and Eighth Avenue in the heart of the Theater District. It was at the pub across the street that he first met Denise on St. Patrick's Day in 1994. “He lost the timing belt in his car and he was furious, marched in for a drink before he went to work,” she said. “I stuck a shamrock on his cheek and told him to smile.”They married and had two children, Michael and Jack. They lived in New Hyde Park. He remained close to his former teammates, joining them every Monday night to play hoops at Forest Park and have a beverage or three afterwards. Basketball and beer. “He could never miss a Monday night and he would never miss a round. He'd never let a teammate drink alone,” said Frank Fontanetta, Lynch's former teammate and current assistant varsity coach. “He was the ultimate teammate. As time goes on, life goes on and I can guarantee you there's not a Monday night in the summer when we play that we don't remember Michael.”Basketball and beer were also on the agenda Friday night. For many of the alums, the reminiscing continued on Bell Boulevard at Sullivan's and Monahan's. But not for Denise Lynch and her sons. She drove back to New Hyde Park with Michael's framed jersey. Jack returned with his own memories.Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
