LAMBERT TROPHY CHAMPIONSHIP ASSOCIATION

The governing and awarding body of the Lambert Trophy as of 2024 is the Lambert Trophy Championship Association. The Association was founded in 2024, but its roots lie much earlier.

The Lambert Trophy Championship Association was founded in direct response to the absence of the Lambert Trophy being awarded in 2021 and 2023. The catalyst for its creation was the omission in 2021, a year when the Pitt Panthers were undeniably the best team in the East. Despite their outstanding performance, the Trophy was not awarded, leaving a significant gap in the recognition of Eastern college football excellence.

This glaring omission sparked discussions about how to resurrect the Lambert Trophy and ensure it was consistently awarded to the best teams moving forward. The lack of acknowledgment for Pitt’s exceptional season was a call to action. The founding of the Lambert Trophy Championship Association was driven by a shared determination to uphold the Trophy’s legacy and guarantee its place as a symbol of excellence in college football.

In 2024, AJ Mayowski, Publisher of NEC Blitz, approached the Eastern College Athletic Conference, who had become custodians of the award, to discuss the future of the Lambert Trophy. A series of meetings took place, which highlighted the need for the Trophy to be entrusted to media and impartial caretakers. This shift aimed to ensure that the Lambert Trophy could be awarded fairly and without reservation, preserving its integrity and purpose.

After gaining approval to move forward with forming a panel to distribute the Lambert Trophy, the next step focused on assembling a group of experts. The initial effort targeted individuals who covered specific Lambert-eligible teams, ensuring representation and expertise across the region. With the foundation of this group in place, the Association began drafting the Lambert Trophy rules. This process involved extensive research, including newspaper archives dating back to the 1930s, to ensure that the rules closely mirrored the historical framework while incorporating updates for the modern era. The revisions included adjustments to account for newer FBS teams within the geographical area and eligibility for the traditional Eastern Independents, ensuring the Trophy's relevance and continuity.

Following this, the Association, guided by the newly written Constitution created by the early members of the panel, awarded the 2021 Lambert Trophy to the Pitt Panthers and the 2023 Trophy to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Additionally, the 2022 Trophy, previously awarded to Penn State but not widely publicized, was formally recognized. These actions established an unbroken lineage of winners from 1936 to the present day, reaffirming the Trophy’s historical significance.

Having achieved this, the Lambert Trophy Championship Association, along with a panel of respected regional and national writers, is now positioned to ensure that the Trophy is awarded annually in perpetuity to the best team in the East. This commitment secures the legacy of the Lambert Trophy as a lasting symbol of excellence in college football.