| Birth date | April 26, 1942 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Everett, Washington, U.S. |
| Death date | March 29, 2020 (aged 77) |
| Player years 1 | 1962–1964 |
| Player team 1 | Washington |
| Player positions | Defensive end |
| Bowl record | 1–3 |
| Championships | 1 Pac-10 (1995) |
| Awards | First-team All-PCC (1964) |
James Ralph Lambright (April 26, 1942 – March 29, 2020) was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head coach at the University of Washington for six seasons, from 1993 to 1998, compiling a record of .[1] Prior to becoming head coach, Lambright served as an assistant on the Huskies coaching staff for 24 seasons.
Early life
Born and raised in Everett, Washington, Lambright's father was a fisherman. He played football for head coach Jim Ennis at Everett High School and graduated in 1960.[2][3] Lambright earned a scholarship to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he lettered as an undersized defensive end for head coach Jim Owens, earning all-conference and All-Coast honors as a senior for the Huskies in 1964.
Coaching career
Following graduation, Lambright was an assistant coach at Fife High School for a season in 1965 and then at Shoreline Community College. In 1969, Owens hired him as an assistant coach on the Huskies' staff. New head coach Don James retained him in 1975 and Lambright became the team's defensive coordinator in 1978,[4] and assistant head coach in 1987.
Lambright was an assistant coach for the Huskies for 24 seasons when he was elevated to head coach in late August 1993, following James' sudden resignation in protest of sanctions against the program from the NCAA and Pac-10 Conference, namely a two-year bowl ban.[5][6][7][8] Lambright's initial contract as head coach was a four-year deal with a base salary of $150,000; he was earning $95,400 as James' chief assistant.[9] He signed a contract extension in January 1998 that brought his compensation to over $500,000 annually.[10] As the Huskies' defensive coordinator Lambright designed the team's "Purple Reign" defensive schemes.[11]
After six seasons as head coach and three decades on staff, Lambright was relieved of his duties by athletic director Barbara Hedges in late December 1998[12][13] after select alums advised Hedges to do so.[14] He was replaced by Rick Neuheisel by early January of 1999.
Personal life and death
In the decade before his death Lambright struggled from short-term memory loss. Lambright died from complications of dementia on March 29, 2020.[15] His brain was donated to the school's Medicine Brain Repository and Integrated Research (BRaIN) laboratory by Lambright's two children Kris and Eric to study for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The study of his brain found high-stage CTE, Alzheimer’s disease, and Lewy body disease.[16]
References
- ^ cfbdatawarehouse.com Archived 2007-02-18 at the Wayback Machine – Jim Lambright
- ^ Patterson, Nick (2020-04-04). "Lambright left lasting legacy in Snohomish County and beyond". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ "Former Washington football coach Jim Lambright dies at 77". AP News. 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Cour, Jim (October 10, 1984). "They're giving Don James a big assist". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. 22.
- ^ "It's judgment day for Washington". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. August 22, 1993. p. 8E.
- ^ Cour, Jim (August 23, 1993). "Penalty hits UW; James resigns". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. p. 1A.
- ^ Farrey, Tom (August 24, 1993). "UW head coach quits over sanctions". Spokesman-Review. Seattle Times. p. C1.
- ^ Boling, Dave (August 23, 1993). "UW head coach quits over sanctions". Spokesman-Review. p. A1.
- ^ "Lambright's 4-year contract delivers pay raise of $54,600". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. August 27, 1993. p. C3.
- ^ "Lambright signs contract extension". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Associated Press. January 17, 1998. p. 8D.
- ^ W. Thomas Porter Go Huskies!: Celebrating the Washington Football Tradition Page 140 1600788270 - 2013 "Eventually, Lambright became the Huskies' defensive coordinator and designed the "Purple Reign" defensive schemes"
- ^ Cour, Jim (December 31, 1998). "Huskies dismiss Lambright as head coach". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. p. 1D.
- ^ Strickland, Carter (December 31, 1998). "UW drops ax on Lambright era". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.
- ^ "Where Are They Now? Jim Lambright comes to grips". September 26, 2007.
- ^ Longtime College Football Coach Has Died At 77
- ^ "Washington coaching legend Jim Lambright's brain donation pays dividends to CTE research years after death | the Spokesman-Review"