MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Michel

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE POSTHUMOUS INDUCTION OF BUTCH LAMBERT, SR., INTO THE MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2000.

WHEREAS, the Jackson Touchdown Club and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame have unveiled the historic Class of 2000 of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame with induction ceremonies to be held on Friday, March 10, 2000, in Jackson; and

WHEREAS, the MSHOF Class of 2000 features induction of the late Butch Lambert, Sr., a native of Holcut, Mississippi, who was an outstanding SEC football official, State Tax Commissioner and veteran member of the House of Representatives, and whose sports career is a matter of record:

Butch played every sport in high school and graduated from Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton in the war year of 1941; like most high school graduates at this time in Mississippi, Butch volunteered for military duty and served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 through 1946; he played center on the Great Lakes National Service Championship football team which was coached by famed NFL Coach Paul Brown; on January 3, 1942, he married Ida Yvonne Gilliland, who still resides in Tupelo; after leaving the service, Butch attended Ole Miss from 1946 through 1948 during the arrival of Johnny Vaught and his staff in 1947; injured while playing center for the Rebels, Coach Vaught allowed Lambert to stay on the squad as a manager and he lettered in 1948 as a manager/trainer and was a member of the M-Club; he also served as manager for the Rebel basketball team; upon graduation from Ole Miss, Butch entered the coaching profession at Southwest Junior College in Summit where he was an assistant football coach and head basketball coach; in 1949, Butch returned home to Fulton where he was hired as the first head football coach and athletic director of Itawamba Junior College; he also coached the basketball and baseball teams at Itawamba; while coaching at Itawamba, Butch organized and coached in the first Little League organization in the Fulton area; he coached Little League teams in Tupelo for seven years; Lambert remained in coaching until 1952 when he accepted a position as field representative for the Mississippi Tax Commission; it was during this time period that Butch became certified as a football official for the famed Southeastern Conference; he was a line judge in the SEC from 1953 through 1982; Lambert officiated in every position except for referee in his SEC career; Butch also called SEC basketball games for 20 years from 1953 through 1973; he was selected to officiate in four NCAA Regional Tournaments; in 1956, Butch made another career change as he was named Director of Employee Relations for Rockwell International in Tupelo and Jackson, Tennessee; during his employment with Rockwell, Butch developed into one of the best football officials not only in the SEC, but in the nation; Lambert served as President of the SEC Football Officials Association; he was Chief Line Judge for the SEC in 1980-1981; Butch entered the political arena in 1960 as he was elected to the House of Representatives for Lee and Itawamba Counties through 1964; he was Lee County Representative from 1968 through 1980; Lambert was Chairman of the powerful Ways & Means Committee from 1974 until his retirement after service as vice chairman of the committee for four years; in 1980, Butch was appointed by Governor William Winter to be the Commissioner of Revenue for the State of Mississippi and he retired from the State Legislature and Rockwell to perform this task; Butch took on the job at a time when the Tax Commission, the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) and Motor Vehicle Agencies were combined; Lambert retired from active officiating in 1982, but served as an SEC Technical Advisor and Official Supervisor until his death in 1985; he was selected to officiate 12 postseason games including the 1965 Sugar Bowl as an alternate, the 1968 Peach Bowl, the 1969 Bluebonnet Bowl, the 1972 Liberty Bowl, the 1973 Gator Bowl, the 1975 Orange Bowl, the 1976 Gator Bowl, the 1977 Independence Bowl, the 1978 Gator Bowl, the 1980 Liberty Bowl and back-to-back Orange Bowls in 1981 and 1982; of the 12 bowl games in which Butch had officiated, six of those games were thrillers, decided by three points or less; he officiated two national championship games, the 1975 Orange Bowl won by Notre Dame over Alabama 13-11 and the 1982 Orange Bowl won by Clemson 22-15 over Nebraska; the 1982 Orange Bowl was his final bowl game and he retired after working the 1982 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, the 12th Senior Bowl he worked in his career; Butch's most famous on-the-field moment as an official happened on December 29, 1978, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, when Ohio State Head Coach Woody Hayes punched a Clemson player on the Buckeye sidelines; the Tigers had just intercepted a pass sealing a 17-15 win for new Clemson Head Coach Danny Ford when the play ended near Hayes on the OSU sidelines; in frustration for the wayward pass, Hayes threw a "haymaker" at a Clemson player in front of Butch, who penalized Ohio State; Butch and the fiery Buckeye mentor would become friends in later years; Coach Hayes sent Butch a congratulatory telegram that was read during the ceremonies naming Mississippi Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Butch's honor; Butch's great reputation among fellow officials and numerous college coaches is legendary and he had a national reputation as an outstanding SEC official; for his long and distinguished career in athletics, Butch received several unique honors; he was the recipient of the Distinguished American Award from the Central Mississippi Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame in 1980; following his death in January 1985, the field at Mississippi Veteran's Memorial football stadium was named the A.C. Butch Lambert Field on October 12, 1985, at the game between Ole Miss and Georgia; he received an additional posthumous honor in special dedication ceremonies on October 8, 1994, when the new football stadium at Itawamba Community College in Fulton was named A.C. Butch Lambert Stadium; in August 1995, Butch received the first All-American Foundation football officials award posthumously; the foundation established the award now known as the Butch Lambert Football Officials Award to annually honor football officials across the nation for outstanding performance in college and professional football; Butch and his wife, Yvonne, are the parents of four children: Vicki Lambert Mixon of Jackson; Amy Lambert of Jackson; Scott Lambert of Orlando, Florida; and Butch Lambert, Jr., of Jackson; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize the memory of our former colleague, who brought honor to the State of Mississippi on the playing field and in the halls of the New Capitol:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the Posthumous Induction of Butch Lambert, Sr., into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2000, and send the Legislature's respect and admiration of him to his family on this occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Butch Lambert, Sr., at induction ceremonies and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.