Pat Lynch, who spent nearly five decades as a highly respected high school coach and athletic administrator in Montana, died this week. He was 70.
Lynch spent 20 of his 41 years at Manhattan as the AD, and his coaching service included 22 years as Tigers golf coach, 15 years as head girls basketball coach, and four years as head boys basketball coach.
"Pat's passing is incredibly sad," Manhattan Superintendent Brian Ayers told MTN Sports. "He served Manhattan Schools and this community with unwavering dedication for 41 years, and I feel incredibly blessed to have been a small part of six of those years."
"His greatest accomplishment was the positive influence he had on generations of students, athletes, coaches, teachers, and families," Ayers said. "He made Manhattan a better place, and his impact will continue to be felt for many years."
Lynch was a 2018 inductee of the Montana Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and also was a member of the Montana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame Class of 2026. He earned several other honors and awards throughout his career including an all-classification AD of the year award in 2015, Class B AD of the year in 2012 and the 2015 MCA boys golf coach of the year.
After stepping away as athletic director at Manhattan in 2022, Lynch returned to the classroom full time, teaching high school art and finally middle school art and health enhancement.
Prior to joining the Tigers, Lynch spent time at Browning as an assistant football and track and field coach. Lynch also served as an assistant coach for football, basketball, track and field and golf at Beaverhead High School in Dillon.
