Jack Lambert (American football)
Crestwood (Mantua) | |||||||||||
| College: | Kent State (1971–1973) | ||||||||||
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| NFL draft: | 1974 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
John Harold Lambert (born July 8, 1952) is an American former football linebacker who played his entire 11-year career for Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 as "the greatest linebacker of his era," Lambert was the starting middle linebacker on four Super Bowl-winning teams with the Steelers.[2] He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Early years through college
Lambert was born in
Professional career
Lambert was selected by the
Lambert was the prototypical middle linebacker for what became the
The Steelers took a chance on Lambert when he replaced injured middle linebacker
Lambert prided himself on his ability to hit hard and intimidate the opposition. He was the Steelers starting middle linebacker for eight seasons when the team primarily used the 4–3 defense & right inside linebacker for three seasons after the Steelers switched to the 3–4 defense, with Loren Toews being the regular starter at the other inside linebacker position late in Lambert's career though Lambert retained the "Mike" role as the team's signal-caller on defense. According to Steelers media guides, Lambert averaged 146 tackles per season through his 10th year. He recorded only 19 in his 11th and final season because of an injury.
Lambert amassed 28 career interceptions, 1,479 career tackles (1,045 solo), and (officially) 231⁄2 sacks.[5] In a nine-year span, Jack Lambert was named to nine straight Pro Bowls and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year once.
Lambert's
In 1976, Lambert assumed the role as leader of the Steelers after star defensive tackle
During the 1984 season, a severe and recurring case of
Personal life
Lambert is very private. He can rarely be seen in memorabilia signings in Pittsburgh.
Broadcasting career
Lambert was a member of the
Honors
In 2004, the
Since 1991, the
Lambert's number, 58, is one of many jersey numbers "unofficially retired" by the team. The Steelers have only retired three jersey numbers: 70, 75 and 32, worn by Ernie Stautner, Joe Greene and Franco Harris respectively.[6]). Lambert's jersey number has perhaps gotten the most attention out of all jersey numbers not officially retired. When Lambert retired, he reportedly told the equipment manager that he was not to issue number 58 again. Lambert later fought with the equipment manager outside of the facility because of a misunderstanding about his number.[citation needed]
Lambert was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Lambert was voted to the Pittsburgh Steelers 75th Anniversary team. NFL Network's countdown show, NFL Top 10, named Lambert the number 8 "Most Feared Tackler" and the number 5 "Pittsburgh Steeler" of all time.
Lambert remains popular among Steeler fans and was arguably the most feared defender on the team despite the fact that some have regarded Jack Ham as a better outside linebacker than Lambert as a middle linebacker during the Steelers dominance of the 1970s. This has been attributed to Lambert looking directly at the quarterback and vice versa before the start of plays.[7] Adding to his mystique has been Lambert's reclusiveness in retirement; aside from his Hall of Fame induction and the Steelers last game at Three Rivers Stadium, Lambert has rarely made any public appearances related to football, preferring to live a private life.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Jack Lambert | PSA AutographFacts". Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ Archived copy Archived March 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Member profile
- ^ "Kent State Football to Square off Against Alabama in 2011: Kent State University Athletics". Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
- ^ Archived copy Archived November 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine accessed August 28, 2012
- ^ JL Lambert [dead link]
- ^ Brown, Scott (July 30, 2014). "Greene's No. 75 to be retired by Steelers". espn.go.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ YouTube [dead link]
- ^ Times, T. J. Simers T. J. Simers is a former Sports columnist for the Los Angeles (January 22, 1996). "Curtain Calls? : Well, No, Lambert Prefers a Small-Town Life Devoid of Talk of Steeler Past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Jack Lambert at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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