Jack Lambert

At 71 years old, Jack Lambert has this physical status:

Professional career

Lambert was chosen by the Steelers in the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft, but many pro football coaches and scouts felt he was too small to play linebacker in the NFL. (Lambert played quarterback at Crestwood High School before moving to the defensive end at Kent State.) Although he was expected to be 6 foot 4 inches (1.93 m) and 220 pounds (220 kg) in the program, as a rookie, he was 6 foot 321 pounds (93 kg) and 93 kg).

Lambert was the prototypical middle linebacker for what became the Tampa Two defense. Instead of having the middle linebacker drop back into a middle zone to cover the seam between the safeties, Bud Carson's "Double Zone" defense, in which safeties played back in a two-deep zone and the cornerbacks played in two shallow zones or in bump-and-run coverage. Middle linebackers had never been sent in such a way before (Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke being the epitomes of the run-support middle linebacker), but Lambert's size, speed, and talent all helped with the transition.

When he swapped out injured middle linebacker Henry Davis, the Steelers took a chance on Lambert. Lambert went on to win their first Super Bowl by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 in Super Bowl IX, winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award as a central figure on a solid Steeler defense that went on to win their first Super Bowl.

Lambert praised himself for his ability to strike hard and compel the opposition. He was the Steelers' starting middle linebacker for eight seasons, with Loren Toews as the team's main starter in the other inside linebacker role late in Lambert's career, but the team retained "Mike" designation as the team's signal caller on defense. Lambert's averaged 146 tackles per season in his 10th year as a Steelers media analyst. In his 11th and last season, he only made 191 appearances due to an injury.

Lambert has had 28 interceptions, 1,479 career tackles (1,045 solo), and (officially) 2312 sacks. Jack Lambert was named to nine straight Pro Bowls and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year once again in a nine-year span.

Lambert's four upper front teeth were missing as a result of being injured in basketball during high school. Though he had a removable partial denture he wore in public, he didn't wear it during games, and photographs of Lambert's toothless snarl became a popular picture of the famous Steeler defense.

After star defensive tackle "Mean Joe" Greene missing several games due to a back injury, Lambert assumed the role as the Steelers' head coach in 1976. The Steelers struggled to a 1–4 record after quarterback Terry Bradshaw, receiver Lynn Swann, and several other starters were forced to miss due to injuries. Lambert made it clear that "the only way we are going to the playoffs to protect our championship is to kick them all from here." The Steelers defense allowed only two touchdowns and a total of 28 points, with five of them shutting downs. The Steelers won all of these games and finished at 10–4. For the entire season, the defense gave up only 138 points out of a record low. The Steelers' eight defensive starters all made the Pro Bowl this year. In 1976, Jack Lambert was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

He was sidelined by a severe and repetitive case of turf toe during the 1984 season, which culminated in his release. Lambert, who was a bachelor throughout his NFL career, got married after retirement.

He has been a long-serving volunteer wildlife officer, now focusing on youth baseball and basketball, tending to his property and maintaining his town's baseball fields. In nearby Harmarville, Pennsylvania, he also competed on a men's ice hockey team.

Broadcasting career

Lambert served as an analyst on Westwood One as an analyst.

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