| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 6 |
Alma Mater: Arkansas [1929]
Date Born: October 23, 1905
Date Died: October 27, 2000
Overall Record: 264-170 [18 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/22/1960 | Kentucky vs. Alabama | W | 75 - 55 | (at Montgomery, AL) |
| 2/23/1959 | Alabama at Kentucky | W | 39 - 32 | - |
| 2/22/1958 | Kentucky vs. Alabama | W | 45 - 43 OT | (at Montgomery, AL) |
| 2/23/1957 | Alabama at Kentucky | W | 79 - 60 | - |
| 12/13/1948 | Arkansas at Kentucky | W | 76 - 39 | - |
| 12/18/1945 | Arkansas at Kentucky | W | 67 - 42 | - |
Obituary - Memphis (TN) Commercial Appeal (October 28, 2000)
Lambert Did a Lot for College Athletics
by Larry Rea
His resume includes Hall of fame membership at two schools, a trip to London for the 1948 Olympic Games and a stint as the tennis coach for a team that won a U.S. and Canadian championship.
There's not much that Eugene W. "Gene" Lambert didn't accomplish as a player, coach or administrator in a collegiate athletic career that covered five decades.
Mr. Lambert died Friday of congestive heart failure at Georgetown, Texas. He was 95.
"Right up until the end when his health started slipping, he could still reel off facts from years ago," said Mr. Lambert's son, Eugene Jr. of Nashville. "His memory was amazing."
Mr. Lambert was a memory maker, first at the University of Arkansas, where he was the first student-athlete to earn four athletic letters two consecutive years, 1927-28 and 1928-29, and later at Alabama and Memphis State.
During his tenure as men's basketball coach at Arkansas (1942-48), Mr. Lambert's teams won or shared two Southwest Conference titles and played in the NCAA's Final Four in 1947. He served as Arkansas' athletic director in 1942-43 and was a varsity assistant coach in football 1942-49.
Mr. Lambert was instrumental in bringing what was then called Memphis State to national prominence in basketball. During his five seasons as the school's head coach (1951-56) the Tigers when to two NCAA tournaments and compiled an 87-45 record.
"He loved his time at Memphis State," Mr. Lambert's son said. "he had a lot of fond memories of Memphis State."
In fact, he lived in Memphis until his wife died in 1997 and moved to Texas to live with his daughter, Linda Lambert Meehan.
His first team (1951-52) a Memphis State went 25-10. After leading the Tigers to a 20-7 record and an NCAA berth in 1955-56. Mr. Lambert spent five years as head coach at Alabama. He returned to Memphis State in 1960 as athletic director, a position he held through 1966.
"He was a man of integrity," said Elma Roane, who spent 38 years on the Memphis State faculty before retiring in 1984. "He was very, very reliable. He did a lot for the University."
Among his many athletic honors:
He was an NCAA basketball representative to the '48 Olympic Games in London.
Mr. Lambert is also survived by another son, David Lee Lambert of San Francisco.
A memorial service is planned "probably after the first of the year," according to his son Gene Jr.
