Casey Allred returns his uncle’s jersey to retirement with the end of Torrey Pines’ football season.
- 11-10-2007
- By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions
John Lynch’s No. 7 Torrey Pines High jersey is going back into retirement with the end of the Falcons’ season
Two years ago, Casey Allred approached then-Torrey Pines High football coach Ed Burke, now retired, with a special request when he was surprised to make the varsity as a sophomore.
“I told him I wanted to wear No. 7,” said Allred, now the Falcons’ senior quarterback and safety. “He told me, ‘OK, but you’ll have to ask your Uncle John for permission.’ ”
That would be Uncle John Lynch, whose wife is Linda Allred, the sister of Casey’s father, David Allred. Another uncle is John Allred, a Torrey Pines alumnus that played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.
Lynch is an eight-time Pro Bowler now playing his 15th NFL season as a safety with the Denver Broncos. Torrey Pines retired Lynch’s No. 7 jersey in 2001.
“I had been a ball boy at Denver training camps, and when I called him up, he said, OK,” Casey said. “He said it would be OK to keep it in the family.”
But Torrey Pines’ season ended Friday with a 30-0 loss to La Costa Canyon when the Falcons came up short of an at-large berth in the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs.
Casey was a running back/defensive back and backup quarterback as a sophomore and junior before becoming the starting quarterback this season.
At first, Casey turned some heads when he wore the No. 7 around school on game days, a Torrey Pines tradition.
“People would say, ‘Hey, isn’t that number retired?” Casey said. “Since I didn’t talk about him being my uncle, a lot of people didn’t know. When I told them, they said, ‘That’s a lot to live up to.’ I said, ‘I know.’ ”
Torrey Pines coach Scott Ashby, Burke’s long-time assistant before he was promoted, said Casey has worn the number well, especially during a rare losing season for the Falcons.
“Casey has honored that number 100 percent with his courage and leadership,” Ashby said. “It’s been a tough year for us, but he’s done a good job of keeping the team together. The kids still come out to practice working hard and believing.”
Casey, a 5-foot-9, 175-pounder, doesn’t have the size of his NFL uncles, but he wants to continue playing college football. Among the schools recruiting him are Penn and Dartmouth of the Ivy League and William and Mary.