Jack Lambert’s famous intense growl (game face) - before, during & after games

Jack Lambert is another member of the Steelers in the 70’s that won 4 super bowls, as a star linebacker in that awesome Steel Curtain – and is recognized as one of the best middle linebackers in NFL history & has been voted in some lists as the toughest player of all time (whatcha expect from men of steel) . Played his college ball at Kent State where he won conference linebacker honors twice. Played his entire 11 year career with 1 team, the Pittsburgh Steelers – of those 11 years, 9 consecutive years was he named to the Pro Bowl & won the NFL Defensive player of year award once.

Out of Kent State, he was drafted by the Steelers in round 2 of the 1974 Draft. Considered by many to be too small to play linebacker in the NFL & playing in what was considered a sub-par college football conference. He played at 6′3 1/2″ and 204 lbs as a rookie. It didn’t take long for him to show he was a player to be reckoned with, as he quickly in his rookie year beat out the starter at middle linebacker & he became the starter – showing strength & smarts (how to read offenses). He was so good as a rookie, he went on to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the year award - & thus become a big cog in the Steelers 1^st Super Bowl win, a 16-6 victory in Super Bowl IX against the Minnesota Vikings.

During games, one could see him playing with his front teeth gone. Out in the public he’d wear his removable partial denture to conceal the 4 front upper teeth which were missing (knocked out while playing basketball during high school years). His toothless smirk/growl face during the games showed some of his known hard intensity which made him an all-pro/hall of fame linebacker for the famous Iron Curtain Pittsburgh Steeler defense. He was a hard, hard, hard hitter & intimidator – boy the league’s offenses knew it – wideout, halfback & qb, where the main targets of this wrath. In 1976, Stud Mean Joe Greene missed some games due to a back injury – thus vaulting Lambert to become the new leader of the Steelers vaunted Iron Curtain defense. That 1976 Steelers team is considered by many as the greatest defense of all time – leading the league in practically all defensive categories. The season didn’t start off so well, the team struggled to 1-4 record after QB Terry Bradshaw & other starters missed games due to injury – with practically 1/3^rd of the season gone, most would think the season is over. Not so fast, the players decided in a player’s only meeting that the only way to succeed was to “the only way we are going to the playoffs to defend our title is to win them all from here out” spoken by Lambert. Thus the genesis of a 9 game ass-kicking run, the Iron Curtain defense was in shut down mode (shutting down the oppositions offenses that is). During the 9 game run – Steelers defense shut out 5 teams & only allowed a meager 2 TD’s (unbelievable then or now for that matter). The opponents averaged 3 points per game during this run – with the Steelers winning all 9 games. With a 10-4 record, they made the playoffs & capped off with a 21-17 win in Super Bowl X against (so-called America’s team) the Dallas Cowboys. No good deed goes unpunished, as the Lead dog in the Iron Curtain for 1976 was given his due, winning the 1976 NFL Defensive player of the year award. So awesome was that Steelers defense that of the 11 starters, 8 made the prow bowl that year (talk about talent on 1 side of the ball – scary).

Like life, all good things must come to an end – thus Jack Lambert retired after the 1984 campaign in which he missed half the games (8) due to turf toe woes. He ended up with 1,400+ career tackles, 28 career interceptions & 23.5 career sacks in his 11 year NFL odyssey with the Pittsburgh Steelers (& yes, let’s not forget the 4 big rings).