Robert Emory Lamb (born December 24, 1962) is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

, a position he assumed in 2011 when Mercer reinstated their football program after a 72-year hiatus. The

Mercer Bears football : ''For information on all Mercer University sports, see Mercer Bears'' The Mercer Bears football program is the intercollegiate football team of Mercer University located in Macon, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Divisi ...

program resumed play in 2013. Lamb served as the head football coach at

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

from 2002 until his resignation in 2010.

Playing career

Lamb attended Commerce High School in

Commerce, Georgia Commerce is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,387. History Native American history Before European settlers arrived, the area around present-day Commerce was inhabit ...

, from 1978 to 1981, where he played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. Along with current

head football coach

Clay Hendrix Clay Hendrix (born July 16, 1963) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and nam ...

He led the team to the 1981 AA State Championship and was named ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

s AA Back of the Year. From 1982 to 1985, Lamb played quarterback for the

Furman Paladins The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics. Furman competes in NCAA Division I athletics and is one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools in the ...

, a

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...

program, where he was a two-year starter. During Lamb's playing career, the Paladins defeated three

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

teams:

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

(1982),

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

(1983), and

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

(1984 and 1985). In 1985, Lamb helped lead the Paladins to the Southern Conference championship, and he was named Southern Conference Player of the Year. The Paladins suffered a two-point loss to

Georgia Southern Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hin ...

in the

1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game The 1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Furman Paladins and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The game was played on December 21, 1985, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The ...

, with Lamb throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another.

Coaching career

Lamb began coaching as an assistant for the Paladins in 1986 and was the

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

s coach on the 1988 team that won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. He became the quarterbacks coach in 1989, a position filled until taking over head coaching duties in 2002. In November 2010, he announced his resignation from Furman after the team had missed the playoffs four straight years. On January 20, 2011, Lamb was announced be the first modern head football coach for

, which began playing football in 2013 after the sport's 70-year absence from campus. On November 24, 2019, Lamb was terminated as Mercer's football coach after the team went 4–8 that season, including 3–5 in the Southern Conference. He finished with an overall record of 41–39 after seven seasons. Lamb is set to become the first ever football coach of Anderson University (Anderson, SC) in 2024, once the program begins.

Personal

Lamb has a brother, Hal, who is the head football coach and athletic director at Calhoun High School in

Calhoun, Georgia Calhoun is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,949. Calhoun is the county seat of Gordon County. History In December 1827, Georgia had already claimed the Cherokee lands that be ...

. Lamb is active in bringing about public awareness of shoulder

Cleidocranial dysplasia Cleidocranial dysostosis (CCD), also called cleidocranial dysplasia, is a birth defect that mostly affects the bones and teeth. The collarbones are typically either poorly developed or absent, which allows the shoulders to be brought close togethe ...

. Lamb's son Taylor was quarterback for the

Appalachian State Mountaineers The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and wer ...

from 2014 to 2017 and is QB Coach at Gardner-Webb University.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Anderson (SC) profile

Mercer profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Bobby 1962 births Living people American football quarterbacks Furman Paladins football players Furman Paladins football coaches Mercer Bears football coaches People from Commerce, Georgia Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Augusta, Georgia