Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy

Last updated
Lambert Trophy
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy.jpg
The Lambert Trophy on display in the Army Sports Hall of Fame at the United States Military Academy in 2019.
Awarded forthe best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football.
Eastern championship [1] [2]
LocationEastern United States
CountryUnited States
Presented byLambert Trophy Championship Association
History
First award1936
First winnerPittsburgh
Most recentPenn State
Next ceremony2024
WebsiteLambertTrophy.org

The Lambert Trophy (formerly the "Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy") is an annual award given to the best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football. In affiliation with the Metropolitan New York Football Writers (founded 1935), the Lambert Trophy was established by brothers Victor A. and Henry L. Lambert in memory of their father, August V. Lambert. [3] The Lamberts were the principals in a distinguished Madison Avenue jewelry house and were prominent college football boosters.

Contents

By the time the “Lambert Trophy” was established in 1936, major schools in other regions of the country had formed their own leagues (i.e., SEC, Big Ten, Big Eight, Pacific Coast Conference, etc.) and Division I FBS (formerly I–A) schools located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions remained independent, with the exception of the 1954 formation of the Ivy League. [4] [5] Emblematic of the "Eastern championship", [6] [7] the Lambert Trophy, voted on by a panel of sports writers in New York, became the de facto conference championship for those schools. [8]

Since 1936, there have been 19 different winners in Division I-A/FBS. To be eligible for the Lambert Award, a school must be located in the "East." Teams in the "East" were originally interpreted as being north of Washington D.C. and east of the western boundary of Pennsylvania, [9] but has sometimes been expanded to include teams located in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia (although there are no FBS teams in Delaware nor Washington D.C., there are teams that compete at lower levels that can win the various Lambert Cup awards for their levels). Additionally, while the Big East Conference was a football conference, members of that conference outside of the "East" were also made eligible if at least half their schedule was against Lambert-eligible teams.

A set of parallel trophies collectively known as the Lambert Cup were formerly awarded to teams in Division I FCS (formerly I-AA), Division II, and Division III. The Metropolitan New York Football Writers, owned and operated by American Football Networks, Inc., took the administration of the Lambert Meadowlands Awards back from the New Jersey Sports & Exhibition Authority in 2011.

As of 2024, plans were announced to revive the Lambert Trophy and begin awarding it for the 2024 season. Following this, the newly announced Lambert Trophy Championship Association awarded retroactive championships to Pittsburgh for 2021 and Penn State for 2023. [10] It was additionally re-announced that Penn State had been awarded the trophy in 2022. [11] Boston College, Temple, Navy, Army, Buffalo, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Penn State, UMass, UConn, and Syracuse will have automatic eligibility for The Lambert Trophy in 2024, with Delaware becoming eligible in 2025. [12]

Lambert Trophy winners

By year

YearSchoolRecordFinal AP RankBowl
1936 Pittsburgh 8–1–1#3Won Rose
1937 Pittsburgh 9–0–1#1No bowl
1938 Carnegie Tech 7–2#6Lost Sugar
1939 Cornell 8–0#4No bowl
1940 Boston College 11–0#5Won Sugar
1941 Fordham 8–1#6Won Sugar
1942 Boston College 8–2#8Lost Orange
1943 Navy 8–1#4No bowl
1944 Army 9–0#1No bowl
1945 Army 9–0#1No bowl
1946 Army 9–0–1#2No bowl
1947 Penn State 9–0–1#4Tied Cotton
1948 Army 8–0–1#6No bowl
1949 Army 9–0#4No bowl
1950 Princeton 9–0#6No bowl
1951 Princeton 9–0#6No bowl
1952 Syracuse 7–3#14Lost Orange
1953 Army 7–1–1#14No bowl
1954 Navy 8–2#5Won Sugar
1955 Pittsburgh 7–4#11Lost Sugar
1956 Syracuse 7–2#8Lost Cotton
1957 Navy 8–1–1#5Won Cotton
1958 Army 8–0–1#3No bowl
1959 Syracuse 11–0#1Won Cotton
1960 Navy 9–2#4Lost Orange
Yale 9–0#14No bowl
1961 Penn State 8–3#17Won Gator
1962 Penn State 9–2#9Lost Gator
1963 Navy 9–2#2Lost Cotton
1964 Penn State 6–4NRNo bowl
1965 Dartmouth 9–0NRNo bowl
1966 Syracuse 8–3NRLost Gator
1967 Penn State 8–2–1#10Tied Gator
1968 Penn State 11–0#2Won Orange
1969 Penn State 11–0#2Won Orange
1970 Dartmouth 9–0#14No bowl
1971 Penn State 11–1#5Won Cotton
1972 Penn State 10–2#10Lost Sugar
1973 Penn State 12–0#5Won Orange
1974 Penn State 10–2#7Won Cotton
1975 Penn State 9–3#10Lost Sugar
1976 Pittsburgh 12–0#1Won Sugar
1977 Penn State 11–1#5Won Fiesta
1978 Penn State 11–1#4Lost Sugar
1979 Pittsburgh 11–1#7Won Fiesta
1980 Pittsburgh 11–1#2Won Gator
1981 Penn State 10–2#3Won Fiesta
1982 Penn State 11–1#1Won Sugar
1983 Boston College 9–3#19Lost Liberty
1984 Boston College 10–2#5Won Cotton
1985 Penn State 11–1#3Lost Orange
1986 Penn State 12–0#1Won Fiesta
1987 Syracuse 11–0–1#4Tied Sugar
1988 West Virginia 11–1#5Lost Fiesta
1989 Penn State 8–3–1#15Won Holiday
1990 Penn State 9–3#11Lost Blockbuster
1991 Penn State 11–2#3Won Fiesta
1992 Syracuse 10–2#6Won Fiesta
1993 West Virginia 11–1#7Lost Sugar
1994 Penn State 12–0#2Won Rose
1995 Virginia Tech 10–2#10Won Sugar
1996 Penn State 11–2#7Won Fiesta
1997 Penn State 9–3#16Lost Citrus
1998 Penn State 9–3#17Won Outback
1999 Virginia Tech 11–1#2Lost Sugar
2000 Miami (FL) 11–1#2Won Sugar
2001 Miami (FL) 12–0#1Won Rose
2002 Miami (FL) 12–1#2Lost Fiesta
2003 Miami (FL) 11–2#5Won Orange
2004 Boston College 9–3#21Won Continental Tire
2005 Penn State 11–1#3Won Orange
2006 Louisville 12–1#5Won Orange
2007 West Virginia 11–2#6Won Fiesta
2008 Penn State 11–2#8Lost Rose
2009 Penn State [13] 11–2#9Won Capital One
2010 Connecticut 8–5NRLost Fiesta
2011 West Virginia 10–3#17Won Orange
2012 Cincinnati 10–3NRWon Belk
2013 Penn State 7–5NRNo Bowl
2014 Rutgers 8–5NRWon Quick Lane
2015 Navy 11–2#18Won Military
2016 Penn State 11–3#7Lost Rose
2017 Penn State 11–2#8Won Fiesta
2018 Army [14] 11–2#19Won Armed Forces
2019 Penn State [15] 11–2#9Won Cotton
2020 Army [15] 9–3NRLost Liberty
2021 Pittsburgh 11–3#13Lost Peach
2022 Penn State 11–2#7Won Rose
2023 Penn State 10–3#13Lost Peach
2024 Penn State 13-3#5Won CFP First Round, Won Fiesta, Lost Orange

By team

SchoolTotalYears won
Penn State 351947, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
Army 91944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1953, 1958, 2018, 2020
Pittsburgh 71936, 1937, 1955, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2021
Syracuse 61952, 1956, 1959, 1966, 1987, 1992
Navy 61943, 1954, 1957, 1960 (co-champions), 1963, 2015
Boston College 51940, 1942, 1983, 1984, 2004
Miami (FL)*42000, 2001, 2002, 2003
West Virginia 41988, 1993, 2007, 2011
Dartmouth^21965, 1970
Princeton^21950, 1951
Virginia Tech 21995, 1999
Carnegie Tech†11938
Cincinnati*12012
Connecticut 12010
Cornell^11939
Fordham^11941
Louisville*12006
Rutgers 12014
Yale^11960 (co-champions)

^ Now a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
† Now a member of NCAA Division III.

* No longer eligible to win Lambert Trophy

Lambert Cup

Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA)

NOTE: The Ivy League, and until 1997, the Patriot League, do/did not participate in the NCAA Division I Football Tournament.

[16]

Most FCS Lambert Cups

TeamTotalYears won
Delaware 81982, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010
James Madison 71994, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
Holy Cross 51983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
Villanova 31992, 2002, 2009
Lehigh 22001, 2011
UMass †21998, 2006
New Hampshire 22005, 2014
Rhode Island 21984, 1985
William & Mary 21990, 1996
Boston University ‡11993
Colgate 12018
Fordham 12015
Hofstra ‡11999
Old Dominion †12012
Towson 12013

† Now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
‡ Discontinued football

Division II

Most D-II Lambert Cups

SchoolTotalYears won
IUP 121987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2017
Delaware †111959, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969(½), 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973(½), 1974, 1976, 1979
West Chester 61967, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2019
Lehigh †5½1957, 1961, 1973 (½), 1975, 1977, 1980
New Haven 41992, 1995, 1997, 2011
Bloomsburg 31985, 2000, 2014
Towson State †31983, 1984, 1986
Bucknell †21960, 1964
California (PA) 22007, 2009
East Stroudsburg 21982, 2005
Shepherd 22015, 2016
Buffalo ‡11958
Clarion 11996
Gettysburg ^11966
LIU Post 12018
Maine †11965
UMass ‡11978
Mercyhurst 12010
Millersville 11988
Shippensburg 11981
Slippery Rock 11998
Wesleyan ^½1969 (½)

‡ Now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
† Now a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
^ Now a member of Division III.

Division III

Most D-III Lambert Cups

TeamTotalYears won
Rowan 81993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005
Ithaca 7½1974, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1984 (½), 1985, 1988, 1991
Wesley 62007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015
Alfred 21971, 2016
Brockport 22002, 2017
C. W. Post ‡21973, 1976
St. John Fisher 22006, 2013
Wagner †21967, 1987
Washington & Jefferson 21992, 1994
Widener 21981, 2000
Wilkes 21966, 1968
Union (NY) 1½1984 (½), 1989
Allegheny 11990
Carnegie Mellon 11979
Cortland 12008
Edinboro ‡11970
Franklin & Marshall 11972
Hobart 12012
Hofstra ^11983
Johns Hopkins 12018
Lycoming 11997
Merchant Marine 11969
Muhlenberg 12019
Plymouth State 11982
RPI 12003
Salisbury 11986
Westminster (PA) 11977

† Now a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
‡ Now a member of Division II.
^ Discontinued football

References

  1. ↑ "Boys' Life". November 1968.
  2. ↑ Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn. Arcadia. 2004. ISBN   9780738536118.
  3. ↑ "Get Lambert Award". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. December 1, 1936. p. 26. Retrieved June 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Remember What It Took to Get Here". 11 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "What happened to college football in the Northeast?". 4 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Boys' Life". November 1968.
  7. ↑ Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn. Arcadia. 2004. ISBN   9780738536118.
  8. ↑ "Remember What It Took to Get Here". 11 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Dec 01, 1936, page 18 - The Times Leader at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  10. ↑ "Lambert Trophy Winners". Lambert Trophy. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  11. ↑ "Lambert Trophy Tweet Re: Penn State 2022".
  12. ↑ @LambertTrophy (September 23, 2024). "... @SickosCommittee @PickSixPreviews @FQACC @ECACSports @ShutdownFullcas @SplitZoneDuo @ArmyWP_Football @SolidVerbal" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024– via Twitter.
  13. 1 2 3 Mackall, Dave (January 5, 2010). "Penn State finishes atop MNYFW poll". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "ECAC Announces 2018 Football Teams of the Year and Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ECAC Announces 2020 and 2019 Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com. June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ "American Football Networks, Inc. - Lambert FCS Cup". Archived from the original on Jun 29, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
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