Joshua Gregory Lambo (born November 19, 1990) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was signed by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2015 and then signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

on October 17, 2017. He played

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 ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and is a former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Early years

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Lambo moved with his family to

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

, when he was a small child. He played club soccer for the Chicago Magic before moving to

Middleton, Wisconsin Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, and a suburb of the state capital, Madison. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census. In 2007, Middleton was chosen as the best pl ...

, in the summer of 2005, where he attended Middleton High School for less than two months before signing a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract and joining the USA Residency Program in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

. At the age of 15, he spent the summer training with Everton F.C. during their US tour in 2006 on the recommendation of US international Tim Howard and was invited to

Finch Farm Finch Farm is the training ground for Everton F.C., in Halewood, in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside within the Liverpool City Region. The School of Science is the nickname given to the complex by some supporters, referring to a ...

before being offered a professional contract on the provision that he could secure an EU passport due to his Greek heritage.

Professional soccer career

Club career

Lambo was drafted in the first round (8th overall) of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

. He played in the

MLS Reserve Division The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chiva ...

, and was a named first team substitute on several occasions, but missed most of the second half of the 2008 season after he broke his jaw in a reserve team game. Lambo never played in an MLS match, but did appear for his team in an international friendly match versus Costa Rica’s

CS Herediano Club Sport Herediano (), commonly known as Herediano and nicknamed El Team, is a Costa Rican multisport club based in Heredia, Heredia province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Herediano is mostly known for its association ...

in June 2009. Lambo was loaned to

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...

expansion team

FC Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second ti ...

for the 2010 season. He made his professional debut on May 14, 2010, in a 2–1 victory over the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

. Lambo was waived by Dallas at the end of the 2011 season. He went on trial with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

and

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

in January 2012. After turning down offers from the NASL and the chance of becoming a MLS pool goalkeeper, he retired from professional soccer at the age of 21.

International career

Lambo made two appearances for the United States U-17 national team during the

2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007, the twelfth edition of the tournament, was held in South Korea between 18 August and 9 September 2007. For this event, the number of teams had been expanded from 16 to 24, with the top two of each group and the four ...

after starting the competition as a substitute. He made his debut in the third and last group stage match against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, playing the whole game and keeping a clean sheet against a side that fielded future

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

players

Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...

and

Christian Benteke Christian Benteke Liolo (born 3 December 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the Belgium national team. Benteke began his career at Standard Liège, playing a part in ...

and was the goalkeeper in the 2–1 loss against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the round of 16. He was an unused substitute for the United States U-20 national team at the

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October 2009. The tournament was initially going to take place between 10 and 31 July. However, the 2009 FIFA Confedera ...

College years

In the fall of 2012, Lambo enrolled at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and joined the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

as a placekicker. He became starting field goal kicker after overtaking

Taylor Bertolet Taylor Bertolet (born October 24, 1992) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M and holds a school record for most extra points in a single season. College career In 2012, Bertolet and ...

during the 2013 season (Bertolet remained the kick-off specialist). His first career appearance came on September 22, 2012, when he made an extra point against

South Carolina State South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a me ...

. His first game-winning field goal came against Ole Miss on October 12, 2013. With the game tied at 38 and only four seconds remaining in the game, Lambo kicked a 33-yard field goal to win the game for the Aggies. Lambo converted all 59 extra point attempts for the 2014 season. He went on to compete in the 2015

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predom ...

Professional American football career

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

On May 2, 2015, after going undrafted in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

, Lambo signed a contract as a free agent with the

. Lambo was brought in for competition for the kicker spot. On September 5, Lambo won the starting job over the incumbent veteran

Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...

. He displayed a strong leg during exhibition games, while Novak did not have a

touchback In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead on or behind a team's own goal line (i.e., in their end zone) and the opposing team gave the ball the momentum, or impetus, to trav ...

in the final half of the 2014 season. In the 2015 season, Lambo converted 26 of 32 field goal attempts. On December 24, 2016, in a game against the 0–14 Cleveland Browns, Lambo missed a game tying field goal in the final seconds of the game, allowing the Browns to claim the win. On September 2, 2017, Lambo was released by the Chargers after losing the starting kicker job to rookie

Younghoe Koo Younghoe Koo (; pronounced ; born August 3, 1994) is a South Korean player of American football who is a placekicker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020. Koo played college ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

On October 17, 2017, Lambo signed with the

. On November 12, 2017, Lambo made a game-winning 30-yard field goal in overtime to give the Jaguars a 20–17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 8 of the 2018 season, Lambo kicked a new career-long 57-yard field goal against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2018, with a groin injury. On February 13, 2019, Lambo signed a four-year, $15.5-million contract extension with the Jaguars. In Week 4, Lambo converted two extra points and went 4-for-4 on field goals, including the game-winning 33-yarder as time expired in a 26–24 win over the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 7, Lambo hit all four of his field goals and an extra point in a 27–17 win over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, earning him his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award of the season. On September 23, 2020, Lambo was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury. He was activated on October 22. In Week 9, Lambo kicked a career-long and franchise-tying 59-yard field goal. However in the same game, he re-injured his hip on an onside kick attempt and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on November 9, 2020. On October 19, 2021, Lambo was released by the Jaguars. On December 15, Lambo accused first-year Jaguars head coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...

of kicking him in the leg during warmups before the team's final preseason game. This accusation would ultimately play a pivotal role in Meyer's firing early the next day. He later filed a lawsuit against the team alleging that Meyer created a hostile work environment and the Jaguars did nothing to stop it.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 2, 2021, Lambo was signed to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

practice squad. He was released on November 11.

Tennessee Titans

On November 16, 2022, Lambo signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. He was waived five days later.

Personal life

Lambo married his wife Megan in June 2018.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bio

Los Angeles Chargers bio

Texas A&M Aggies bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambo, Josh 1990 births Living people American football placekickers American soccer players Association football goalkeepers American people of Greek descent FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Texas A&M Aggies football players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Soccer players from Chicago People from Middleton, Wisconsin People from East Lansing, Michigan Soccer players from Wisconsin San Diego Chargers players Footballers who switched code Players of American football from Wisconsin Los Angeles Chargers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Tennessee Titans players 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship players Association football players that played in the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers players