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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

for eight seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He is currently 8th all-time in field goal percentage, having made 87.07% of his field goals in his time in the NFL. Lambo began his athletic career as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), 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 i ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. He was selected in the first round 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 in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

. Despite being a member of the team for three seasons, he never played in an MLS match. After retiring from soccer at the age of 21, he began playing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Texas A&M Aggies from 2012 to 2014. He was signed by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2015, playing for the Chargers for two seasons. He was 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

partway in the 2017 season where he spent the majority of his NFL career. With the Jaguars, he was a Second-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

in 2019. After missing most of the 2020 season due to injury, Lambo was released by the Jaguars after three games in 2021 after a poor start to the season. He subsequently had brief stints with 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

' practice squad and 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Early life

Born in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

, Lambo moved with his family to

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago. The population was 40,269 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Crystal L ...

, when he was a small child. He played club

for the Chicago Magic before moving to Middleton, Wisconsin, in the summer of 2005, where he attended Middleton High School for less than two months before signing a Generation Adidas 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, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

. In 2006, and at the age of 15, he spent the summer training with

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club Everton during their tour of the United States on the recommendation of USMNT international Tim Howard and was invited to Finch Farm, 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 selected in the first round (8th overall) of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by

. He played in the MLS Reserve Division, 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 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 U ...

expansion team FC Tampa Bay for the 2010 season. He made his professional debut on May 14, 2010, in a 2–1 victory over the Carolina RailHawks. Lambo was waived by Dallas at the end of the 2011 season. He went on trial with D.C. United and Sheffield United 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 after starting the competition as a substitute. He made his debut in the third and last group stage match against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

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

players Eden Hazard and Christian Benteke, 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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.

College football career

In the fall of 2012, Lambo enrolled at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

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

. He became starting field goal kicker after overtaking Taylor Bertolet during the 2013 season (Bertolet remained the kickoff specialist). His first career appearance came on September 22, 2012, when he made an

extra point Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

against South Carolina State. 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 50 of 51 extra point attempts in the 2013 season and all 59 extra point attempts for the 2014 season. He went on to compete in the 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

NFL career

San Diego 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 American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

, 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 an American former professional football placekicker. He played college football at Maryland and was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Novak was a member of the Dallas ...

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

touchback In American football, a touchback is a ruling that 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 travel ...

in the final half of the 2014 season. In the 2015 season, Lambo converted 26 of 32 field goal attempts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. On December 24, 2016, in a game against the 0–14

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Lambo missed a game tying field goal in the final seconds of the game, allowing the Browns to claim the win. In the 2016 season, Lambo converted 42 of 46 extra point attempts and 26 of 32 field goal attempts. On September 2, 2017, Lambo was released by the Chargers after losing the starting kicker job to rookie Younghoe Koo.

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 The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. In the 2017 season, Lambo converted 22 of 24 extra point attempts and 19 of 20 field goal attempts. He converted all nine extra point attempts and all four field goal attempts in the Jaguars' postseason run. 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on December 28, 2018, with a groin injury. In the 2018 season, Lambo converted 19 of 20 extra point attempts and 19 of 21 field goal attempts in 13 games. 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 team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, earning him his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award of the season. In the 2019 season, Lambo converted 19 of 20 extra point attempts and 33 of 34 field goal attempts. 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 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. 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 an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

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

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. He was released on November 11.

Tennessee Titans

On November 16, 2022, Lambo signed with the

as an injury replacement for Randy Bullock. Lambo made three of his four extra point attempts in a 27–17 win over the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He was waived on November 21. On March 17, 2023, Lambo retired from professional sports. As of 2024, he ranks as the eighth most accurate kicker in NFL history, and the most accurate of all kickers that are no longer active.

Statistics

Personal life

Lambo has been married twice: firstly to Amy, and then a second time, to Megan Menefee from 2018 to 2021.

References

External links

Texas A&M Aggies bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambo, Josh 1990 births Living people American football placekickers American men's soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers American people of Greek descent Sportspeople 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 Sportspeople from Middleton, Wisconsin Players of American football from Dane County, Wisconsin Sportspeople from East Lansing, Michigan Soccer players from Wisconsin San Diego Chargers players Footballers who switched code IMG Academy alumni Los Angeles Chargers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Tennessee Titans players Men's association football players that played in the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers players 21st-century American sportsmen