Lambert Trophy Constitution - 2024
Rules for the Selection of the Lambert Trophy Winner
Preamble
The Lambert Trophy was established to recognize and celebrate the most outstanding Division I football program in the Eastern United States. It reflects a tradition of excellence in collegiate football and honors teams that demonstrate superior athletic performance, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit. This document formalizes the rules and procedures for the selection of the annual Lambert Trophy winner, ensuring transparency, fairness, and adherence to the values of this prestigious award.
Article I: Eligibility Criteria
1. Any Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution located in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine shall be eligible to win the trophy.
2. Any Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution located in the states of Maryland, West Virginia or the District of Columbia that has significant historic ties to football independence in the states listed in (1) shall be eligible to win the trophy.
Note: A current list of the institutions considered to be in (1) and (2) is below.
3. Any Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution located in the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, or the District of Columbia that schedules at least one-third of its regular season games against the institutions described in (1) and (2) and listed below, can apply in writing for eligibility to win the trophy prior to two weeks from the first day of the start of the regular season. Any application must include:
a. The team’s full, eligible, schedule
b. A justification for being eligible for an award outside the historic boundaries of the Lambert Trophy described in (1). This justification may include, but is not limited to:
i. Former Big East Conference football membership (1991-2012).
ii. Significant ties to independence in the states outlined in (1).
4. Any written application will be considered by that year’s selection committee and requires a three-quarters majority vote for acceptance.
5. Any FBS team that is serving an NCAA penalty resulting in a post-season ban for the season in question is ineligible to receive the Lambert Trophy.
Note: The current list of institutions considered fully eligible in (1) and (2) which are not required to apply for eligibility is:
(1) Army, Boston College, Buffalo, Connecticut, Delaware (starting 2025), Massachusetts, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple
(2) Navy, West Virginia
Article II: Selection Committee
1. Composition of the Committee
a. The Selection Committee (“Lambert Trophy Championship Association”) shall consist of 11 to 29 members chosen from the following groups:
i. Sports Journalists with a focus on collegiate football, particularly those covering FBS teams eligible for the Lambert Trophy.
ii. Former Coaches and Players who have competed for or coached at a Lambert Trophy eligible team.
iii. Custodial Staff of the Lambert Trophy, responsible for maintaining the physical trophy and overseeing its presentation.
iv. Key regional stakeholders of collegiate football.
2. Chairperson
a. The Chairperson of the Selection Committee shall be the Custodian of the Lambert Trophy. The Custodian's role includes overseeing the selection process, ensuring adherence to these rules, and casting the deciding vote in the event of a deadlocked tie, in addition to having one vote as any other member of the panel.
3. Conflicts of Interest
a. Any committee member who is currently employed by a school eligible for the Lambert Trophy or holds any financial connection or obligation to an eligible member or body with an interest in an eligible member receiving the award must declare a conflict of interest and recuse themselves from discussions and voting related to that school's candidacy. Past affiliations, such as attendance or prior employment, do not constitute a conflict.
Article III: Selection Criteria
1. Purpose of Selection
a. The Lambert Trophy is awarded to the most accomplished football team in the Eastern United States. The purpose of this selection is to recognize the team with the most successful season, rather than the most talented or promising team. The evaluation will be based on the team’s achievements and competitive performance throughout the season.
2. Primary Criteria
a. The following factors will be considered in the selection process, listed in order of importance:
i. Intra-group Records: Matchups between eligible teams will hold the highest weight. In particular, when specific teams are being compared, any head-to-head matchup shall be strongly considered.
ii. Championships Won: Conference championships or other significant titles won by the team will be a key indicator of their accomplishment.
iii. Won-Loss Record: The team’s overall record during the regular season will be a fundamental measure of their success.
iv. National Rankings: The team's standing in recognized national rankings (e.g., AP Poll, Coaches Poll) will be taken into consideration, reflecting the national perspective on their season.
v. Strength of Schedule: Consideration will be given to the difficulty of the team’s opponents during the season, ensuring that teams facing tougher competition are fairly recognized.
Article IV: Voting Process
1. If there is a potential for a postseason bowl game between the two top eligible teams, a vote may be called by the Chairperson to consider such a game the Lambert Trophy Championship Game. If the Selection Committee agrees with the chairperson by a 90% vote, the game’s winner will automatically be awarded the trophy, and a conscious effort will be made to relocate the trophy to the site of the game.
2. If no such championship game exists, the following process will be used to vote on a winner following the final game of all eligible teams:
a. All voting members will vote via secret ballot for one school.
b. If a majority of votes determines a champion, the process is ended.
c. If no school receives a majority, a second ballot will occur where votes are limited to schools that receive at least one-quarter of the votes.
d. If fewer than two schools receive at least one-quarter of the votes, the second ballot’s votes will be limited to the top three vote getters (including ties) from the first vote.
Article V: Award Presentation
1. The winner of the trophy shall be announced immediately following the voting procedures.
2. After the winner is announced, the Sports Information Directors (SIDs) of the winning school must be contacted to determine whether the trophy can be presented with a public ceremony.
3. In the event of a designated Championship Game, an effort will be made to present the trophy during the postgame by contacting the SIDs of both eligible institutions.
4. Media Presence and Trophy Engraving
a. Every effort should be made to arrange media coverage for the award presentation. This includes ensuring a media presence at the on-field presentation or any alternative award ceremony.
b. The winning team’s name will be engraved on the Lambert Trophy, and the engraving must be completed before the next season begins.
Article VI: Custodial Staff and Panel Terms
1. Custodial Staff
a. The Custodial Staff of the Lambert Trophy shall hold lifetime appointments, as long as they are willing to serve. This ensures continuity and promotes the values required in the voting process.
b. The custodial staff shall consist of the following positions:
i. The Chairperson
A. Overall responsibility for the award and regulations
ii. The Vice Chairperson
B. Assists Chairperson and acts in place of the Chairperson when he/she is unable to perform duties.
iii. Up to 3 other members who will assist with the transportation, presentation and upkeep of the trophy to include the social media/public communications requirements.
c. Custodial Staff may serve as voting members of the panel but must recuse themselves in the event of any sponsorship or financial ties to a body with declared or implied interest in the awarding of the trophy to any eligible member.
2. Panel Member Terms
a. All other members of the Selection Committee shall serve two-year terms, which may be renewed without term limit by the Custodial Staff.
b. The Custodial Staff are empowered to make decisions regarding the appointment of new members to the panel for the two-year term.
c. The Chairperson empowered to extend invitations to vote for the trophy without term as considered appropriate by the Chairperson.
3. Resignation
a. Any member wishing to resign from the Selection Committee must submit their resignation in writing to the Custodial Staff.
4. Retroactive Championships
a. The chairperson may call a committee made up of active voters to agree via assent or secret ballot to award retroactive championships in the event that the trophy becomes inactive for a period of one collegiate football season and no champion was determined. Any secret ballot will follow the rules established in Article IV.
b. Retroactive championships may not be awarded prior to 1936 when the trophy was established.
c. Championships may not be revoked.
Article VII: Amendments and Revisions
1. Proposal of Amendments
a. Any proposed changes to the rules and procedures governing the Lambert Trophy must be submitted in writing to the Custodial Staff.
2. Approval of Amendments
a. Amendments to the rules must be approved by a three-quarters majority of the Selection Committee to take effect.
3. Interpretation of the Constitution
a. The Selection Committee is empowered to interpret the constitution of the Lambert Trophy as necessary to ensure fairness and adherence to its values.
Article VIII: Future Intent
1. It is the intent of this constitution to dissolve itself into two separate bodies by the beginning of the 2025 College Football season.
a. The Custodial Body will be responsible for the transportation, presentation and upkeep of the trophy to include the social media/public communications requirements.
b. The voting body will be responsible for the establishment of members and the awarding of the trophy via voting as defined earlier in the constitution.
2. The Trophy may not be used for financial gain and any excess sponsorship funds from the Lambert Trophy must be disposed of in a way consistent with the promotion of Eastern college football or any charitable foundations approved of by key collegiate football stakeholders in the region.