Flynn defined the two-sport star at Penn

The former Ivy football Rookie of the Year and lacrosse Player of the Year now plays for the Philadelphia Wings in the MILL. Chris Flynn was deprived of the traditional Penn experience. Because of his hectic schedule, he was forced to spend free time catching up on his academics. However, as one of Penn's all-time great two-sport athletes -- perhaps the best -- Flynn, a 1988 graduate, looks back on his time at Penn with no regrets. Regarded as one of Penn's top lacrosse players of all time, Flynn is currently a professional lacrosse player with the Philadelphia Wings of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. Flynn's first impact as a Quaker did not come on the lacrosse field, however. In 1985, he proved himself as a great finesse tailback, and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. His outstanding accomplishments on the football field did not end there. In his second season, he compiled 1,620 all-purpose yards, good enough for third on Penn's single-season list, scored 12 touchdowns and earned a first team All-Ivy selection. In a single game against Dartmouth his senior year, the West Chester, Pa., native rushed for five touchdowns. After three complete seasons with the Quakers, the 5'7'', 190-pound Flynn left his mark on the Penn football career record book. He is currently in the top five all time in all-purpose yardage with 3,772 yards as a rusher, receiver and punt returner, scoring 26 career touchdowns. He also makes the rushing leaders with 2,181 yards. He is the all-time leader in rushing average, with 5.7 yards per carry. "In football, what you have is upwards of 40,000 in a crowd watching you play, and when you have a successful team like we did, it was very enjoyable," said Flynn, who played on the 1986 undefeated Ivy champion Quakers. As good as Flynn was at football, he was even better at lacrosse. He was not only first-team All-Ivy in 1987 and 1988, but was selected as a second-team All-American in 1987, a first-team All-American in 1988 and 1988 Ivy League Player of the Year. As team captain in 1988, Flynn led the Quakers to the NCAA lacrosse Final Four with his team losing to Syracuse in the last minute of play. "A lot of people say it was the real championship game. It was the semifinals, but we were, by far, and I'm not afraid to say, the two best teams in the country," Flynn said. "We lost to the best team, with the two best players ever to play that college sport, in Gary and Paul Gait." Penn lacrosse coach from 1983 to 1990 and current Johns Hopkins coach Tony Seaman, who coached Flynn for his four years at Penn, also had the opportunity of coaching Flynn on the United States National Team in the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship. In the final game against Australia, Chris Flynn scored three goals and was named the game's most valuable player. "Chris was as tough, as athletic and as talented skill-wise as anybody that plays lacrosse," Seaman said. "The one thing that Chris Flynn had that nobody I've ever coached had as big of, is heart. If a job had to get done, Chris Flynn did it." As a two-sport athlete, Flynn's free time was severely limited. Spending much of his time at practice or on long road trips, he spent the remaining time fulfilling his academic responsibilities. But most of his friends were on the teams along with him. "I would go out after a game, but all of my tight friends were doing the same thing," Flynn explained. "We were playing together, and I don't think any of us needed any more partying in our lives because when Friday and Saturday nights came around, we got the most out of it." As a kid growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Flynn dreamed about someday becoming a professional athlete. However, realizing that there would always be others bigger or stronger, his dreams often took a backseat to reality. "As I got to college, and competed with that upper echelon of athletes, I was very happy with the way things were turning out," Flynn said. "The teams were succeeding, I had some personal triumphs that were great, but, at that point, I still didn't think that I was going to be playing professional sports." After he graduated, Flynn was given an opportunity to try out with the New England Patriots. "There, I got a little taste of what professional sports was all about, and not to say that I was supposed to make the team or anything, but I got a feel for the political part of the game," Flynn said. In 1990, Flynn made the most of his second crack as a professional athlete. He joined up with the Philadelphia Wings of the MILL. Since then, he has won four championships and played alongside of the greatest in the game, including the Gait brothers. Now entering his ninth season, Flynn has established himself as one of the best in the game as well. "I still don't think that lacrosse is a 'professional sport' because there is not enough television exposure, there's no pay there, and you can't do it full time," Flynn said. A typical season for Flynn, 31, starts in January and ends in April. When not playing lacrosse, Flynn, who still lives in greater Philadelphia, works full time as a residential mortgage broker and is getting married this October. Everyone must attend the team's tryouts every season, whether they are veterans or not. Team practices begin in early November. Adjusting to the fast-paced indoor game was not difficult for Flynn, who holds the top face-off winning percentage in Quakers history. "Indoor is in a confined area, and you need to have strength and athleticism," Seaman said. "But, you are allowed to check more from behind, pushing and fighting in the corners and against the boards, so if you are not tough, you are not going to survive in that game. Chris is really the perfect guy for that indoor game." While the end of a brilliant career may be within sight, Flynn, who can still be seen frequenting Penn establishments like Smokey Joe's from time to time, sees himself playing with the Wings for at least a few more seasons. "I'm taking things one year at a time," Flynn said. "If I feel like I can make a contribution, I don't want to go out sitting on the bench. I want to be able to contribute and be an integral part of the team, because it has always been that way, and the day that feel that it is not happening, either I've lost desire or lose the ability, then that's when I bail out."