Steel City Underground takes fans back in time to feature events, special moments, and historical times and players in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers Nation. Join us in our “Steelers Throwback Thursday” series as we revisit these moments.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, in their franchise history, have fielded some tremendous players who have earned respect, awe, and even drawn apprehension from other players across the National Football League. Some have been destroyers of opponents. This week, we look back – briefly – on the career of Jack Lambert to focus on his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the summer of 1990.
The Career to remember
Perhaps no one outside of Paul Zimmerman (“Dr. Z” of Sports Illustrated) has written as moving of a tribute article on Lambert as Brian E. Roach (Steel City Underground) did in 2017. To kick this Throwback Thursday off, I’d be remiss in not sharing links to those very articles.
Lambert was the quintessential prototype of an American Football linebacker. He was athletic, solidly-built, had an aggression and tenacity that forced opponents to game-plan around, and wasn’t afraid to hit or take a hit on the field. He was a force to absolutely be reckoned with.
His looks off the field, however, didn’t seem to match the demeanor of such a player. A tow-head that stood at 6’4″, 220 pounds, Jack was guy who grew up in Mantua (Ohio) that spent time on his grandfather’s farm and was a three-sport high school athlete. Unafraid of work, he played on both sides of the ball in football (quarterback, cornerback), was a catcher on the baseball team, and played basketball.
At Kent State, Lambert was an All-American linebacker (twice). Art Rooney, Jr. remembered a story about Lambert that illustrated the inner workings of the young man, saying,
“At Kent, they had a quarterback who was evidently a dissipater, and he did something and they were going to throw him off the team. Lambert was the team captain. He went to (Coach Dennis) Fitzgerald and said, “You can’t. You’ll wreck the team.’ Fitzgerald said, ‘O.K., but he’ll have to run a punishment drill.’ Lambert said, ‘I’ll run it with him to make sure he does it.’ Lambert ended up dragging him through.”
Considered to be on the small side for an NFL linebacker by scouts, Lambert – who started at Kent State as a defensive end before moving to linebacker – wasn’t to be deterred and was happy to let looks be deceiving. After all, as Zimmerman wrote,
“Off the field (Lambert is) a quiet, extremely private man, a bird watcher and avid fisherman… he spent much of the off-season ensuring greater privacy by building himself a country retreat on 85 acres he bought…”
Steelers fans, however, came to know Lambert as “Jack Splat”, “Mad Man Jack”, “Count Dracula in Cleats,” and his biggest fans called themselves “Lambert’s Lunatics.”
Sports Illustrated once famously made a photograph of Lambert with his menacing smile their cover. It’s an image Steelers fans, once they’ve seen it, seldom can get out of their heads when Lambert’s name is mentioned. It was an image that initially bothered Lambert, but his eventual acceptance was wrapped up in his own words to Fitzgerald:
“All that stuff upsets me, because I’m not a dirty football player. I don’t sit in front of my locker thinking of fighting or hurting somebody. All I want to do is to be able to play football hard and aggressively, the way it’s meant to be played… Oh hell, it’s just an image…”
What Lambert should be remembered for is his skill at being able to play sideline-to-sideline, make tackles, and work effectively in coverage. In fact, he is arguably one of the best interior linebackers to have ever played in the NFL.
Yes, Lambert could put a hit on an opposing player. Rumors about on-field actions that may or may not have happened have gone hand in hand with statements truly Lambert made with his play. He wasn’t one to back down… to anyone who wanted him to be their doormat on the gridiron.
Before we end the career retrospective, let’s not forget the following statistics and honors Lambert earned with the Steelers.
Total tackles: 1,479
Sacks: 8
Interceptions: 28
Interception yards: 243
Fumble recoveries: 17
4× Super Bowl champion (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1976)
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1974)
6× First-team All-Pro (1976, 1979–1983)
2× Second-team All-Pro (1975, 1978)
9× Pro Bowl (1975–1983)
NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
PFWA All-Rookie Team (1974)
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team
Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Inductee
After spending all 11 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers – the team who picked him in the 1974 NFL Draft during a players strike and slid him in to replace injured middle linebacker Henry Davis – Lambert hung up his cleats following a severe toe injury during the 1984 season.
In his retirement press conference, Lambert said,
“Last year was probably the most difficult year of my life in regard to football. It was the first time in my life that I ever felt like I didn’t deserve a paycheck. I felt kind of embarrassed about going back and picking up my paycheck from Mr. Rooney. It was rather embarrassing, and I certainly didn’t wanna go through that again this year.”
“It’s easy to say you’re going to retire, but to actually make the phone call to Mr. Rooney and say, ‘Mr. Rooney, I’m going to retire,’” Lambert added. “To call Chuck Noll and say, ‘Coach Noll, I’m going to retire.’ I’ve been playing football every year for 20 years, it’s just hard to imagine that it’s over. My only regret is that it went so fast.”
Lambert’s nomination and eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 allowed fans an opportunity to hear Jack speak from the heart after Dennis Fitzgerald introduced him; it was a special full circle moment for the legend.
Although Ernie Stautner (No. 70), Joe Greene (75) and Franco Harris (32) are the only Steelers to currently have their jerseys officially retired by the Steelers, it’s not hard to wonder – considering everything he gave to the team in both heart and legacy – if Lambert’s number 58 might some day be set aside in honor as well.
By Christina “Tina” Rivers
Lifetime fan, seasoned sports writer. Lover of gridiron Ninjitsu. “Flyover country” native who is a pragmatic, critical thinker who eats artificial turf pellets, stats sheets, and highlight reels for meals on game nights.
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