Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert (1934-1978)
Teams coached: Pittsburg State Gorillas, Hardin-Simmons Cowboys, Southern Illinois Salukis
Pittsburg State record^: 44-29 (.603)
Hardin-Simmons record: 57-47 (.548)
Southern Illinois record: 126-84 (.600)
Overall record^: 227-160 (.587)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1977)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1977)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1975)
- Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion: 1 (1977)
- CIAC (NAIA) Regular Season Champion: 2 (1965, 1966)
- Missouri Valley Tournament Champion: 1 (1977)
- NAIA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1966)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1970-1978 | Southern Illinois |
| 1966-1970 | Hardin-Simmons |
| 1963-1966 | Pittsburg State |
| 1960-1963 | Drake (asst) |
Paul Lambert Facts
- Paul M. Lambert Jr.
- Born August 15, 1934
- Died June 6, 1978
- Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
- Alma Mater: William Jewell College (BA, 1956)
- The KC-native played basketball for the William Jewell Cardinals in Liberty, Missouri
- First coaching gigs were a three-year stint at Moberly HS (MO) and one year at Boone HS (IA)
- Joined Maury John‘s staff at Drake in 1960, serving as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs for three seasons
- Hired in 1963 to be the head coach at NAIA Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas
- Went 44-29 in three seasons there, winning two CIAC titles and going to the NAIA Tournament in 1966
- Left for (then-Division I Independent) Hardin-Simmons in 1963, coaching the Cowboys for four seasons
- Was 57-47 overall, highlighted by 17-9 records in both his first and last season there
- Became the head coach at Southern Illinois in 1970, leading the Salukis for the next eight seasons
- Won the MVC title and (first-ever) MVC Tournament in 1977, reaching the Sweet Sixteen in that year’s NCAAs
- Compiled a 126-84 record during his tenure, finishing above .500 in six of eight seasons
- In June 1978, Lambert tragically died in a motel fire in Columbus, Georgia; he was just 43 years old
- Earlier that year, Lambert had accepted the position of head basketball coach at Auburn
Paul Lambert Coaching Tree
- coming soon
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels; note that Hardin-Simmons was a Division I program during Lambert’s tenure