Jim Lynch can tell you what it is like to be part of a three-man football officiating crew with Oakie O’Connor and Gitch Combo.

Can you imagine how great that would be? The laughter must have gone on for days.

For 35 years, Lynch worked with legends like Oakie, Gitch, Don Peoples, Bill Hogart and Jim Norton, and he has stories about all of them.

Before he was a longtime State Farm Insurance agent, Jim grew up in Muckerville, a neighborhood on the Butte hill. He lived in a house on Alaska Street, just above the Original Mine and attended St. Mary’s School.

The 1972 Butte Central graduate played football for the Maroons. He played basketball, too, until BC legend Buddy Walsh told him he was a wrestler. 

Jim, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Sunday, attended went to Montana State University in Bozeman before going on to teach and coach at Clyde Park. Then he got into the insurance business, jumping at an opportunity that seemed to come out of the blue.

Listen into this podcast as Jim talks about some of the characters he officiated with. Listen as he talks about getting into teaching and coaching and then into the insurance business. 

Listen as he talks about some of the big games he officiated.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee.