Lambert resigns; will return to private business

ACU graduate has served as director of athletics since 1995

ABILENE -- Stan Lambert, who has served as ACU's director of athletics since June 1995, announced Monday that he is resigning his position to return to private business, effective at the end of the month.

Dr. Gary McCaleb, ACU vice president in charge of athletics operations, has appointed former director of athletics Wally Bullington as the interim director of athletics.

"Stan has served ACU in an exemplary manner for seven years," McCaleb said. "He has both attracted and maintained an outstanding lineup of coaches and support staff throughout the program who have continued to recruit outstanding student-athletes and taken our teams to the pinnacle of NCAA Division II athletics. And he's done everything with a love for ACU because he was an athlete and letterman here.

"As far as Wally's return goes, he is ready to whatever he needs to do," McCaleb said. "He'll be in the job for as long or as short a period of time as he needs to be. I feel very comfortable with our athletics department in his hands.

Lambert, 49, will return to the banking industry that he was a part of for 10 years in various locales around the state, including serving as president of the former Security State Bank in Abilene from 1991-92.

"When I came into this position seven years ago, my goals were to continue the winning traditions that have been a part of ACU athletics," he said. "I also wanted to establish a recruiting philosophy that centered on recruiting not only outstanding athletes, but good students and people of character.

"Some of my other goals consisted of raising the average salaries for coaches and establishing a larger base of donors and supporters of our program," he said. "In looking back, I think we have done a pretty good job in all of these areas."

The winning tradition certainly continued under Lambert's watch. During his seven years on the job, the Wildcats have won 61 percent of their contests (986 wins, 614 losses and one tie) in all sports, not including cross country meets, track and field meets or golf tournaments.

ACU has also won 34 Lone Star Conference championships, 17 NCAA Division II championships and seen 11 other teams finish finish in the top five at national meets, including six runner-up finishes.

More than 200 ACU student-athletes have earned all-LSC honors during Lambert's tenure as director of athletics, and more than 50 have earned all-America honors. In addition, ACU coaches have earned more than 25 Coach of the Year honors, and one women's basketball player -- Jennifer Clarkson-Frazier -- was named NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 1995-96.

In addition, ACU asserted itself on a national level as one of the top finishers each year in the Sears' Directors Cup, which annually honors the top athletics programs in NCAA divisions I, II and III, as well as the NAIA. Since the Cup's inception in 1995-96, ACU's average finish in Division II is second (behind only California-Davis), while its average finish among all three NCAA divisions is eighth. On the NCAA Division II level, ACU has the second-most top-five finishes with four (behind Cal-Davis with six) and the second-most top-10 finishes with five (behind Cal-Davis with six).

In addition to the accomplishments on the fields and courts, ACU student-athletes have excelled in the classroom. Since the 1995-96 school year began, nine ACU student-athletes have earned NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships to give ACU 21 such honorees, the second-highest total in the state behind only the University of Texas and more than the other 14 LSC schools combined.

Also, more than 100 athletes have earned more than 150 academic all-LSC honors, and 14 athletes have earned 16 academic all-America honors. ACU was also recently recognized by the National Consortium for Academic and Sports, which presented the school with its Degree Completion Honor Roll Award at its national conference in Orlando, Fla.

"I have been blessed to witness some of the greatest athletic accomplishments that will ever be seen," he said. "I will never forget the many great performances that have been provided by our student-athletes over the past seven years. But not only have we witnessed outstanding athletic achievement, we have seen student-athletes graduate, excel in the classroom, and participate in community service projects. The athletics program at ACU continues to be regarded as one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the country. I am proud to have played a small part in continuing that legacy."

In an administrative role, Lambert has helped to secure the long-term financial viability and security of the athletics department with the creation of the 21st Century Club, which was started last year. So far, 85 people have signed on to participate in the program, which asks them to agree to give at least $6,000 to the ACU athletics department over the next three years.

Also, ACU's athletics facilities have been upgraded over the last seven years, including a new softball field; press box, ticket booth and clubhouse at Crutcher Scott Field; a recently completed exterior renovation of Elmer Gray Stadium; the recent announcement of the soon-to-be-completed Judi and Cecil Eager Tennis Pavilion; and the building of the Teague Special Events Center.

Lambert has also served the NCAA itself in several areas, including recently being voted the chairman of the NCAA Division II football committee. His selection to the committee came at the end of a two-year run as the West region chairman on the Division II national committee. He's also served on the South Central regional advisory board for NCAA Division II men's basketball.

He's also been involved in the Abilene community as president of the Abilene Youth Basketball Association, director and treasurer of the United Way of Abilene, a volunteer for the Special Olympics and a volunteer coach in several youth baseball leagues.

"ACU has allowed me to develop relationships with other people on campus, including faculty, staff, students, and friends and supporters of the athletic program," he said. "The past seven years have been some of the most enjoyable years of my professional career."

Lambert, the fifth director of athletics in the history of the university, was the director of student financial services at the university before his appointment as athletics director June 1, 1995. A two-sport letterman at ACU, Lambert earlier was president of banks in Abilene, Ennis and Ozona and mayor of Ennis.

A 1971 graduate of Abilene High, Lambert competed in basketball and baseball for the Wildcats and earned a B.B.A. degree in 1975. He was a member of the Southland Conference all-freshman team in basketball in 1971-72, and he pitched a no-hitter for the Wildcats in baseball in 1975. He also pitched a no-hitter in high school for the Eagles, earned all-district in both basketball and baseball, and received the Thornton award as the outstanding athlete at AHS.

Lambert studied in graduate schools at SMU and University of Oklahoma and served as president of Crockett County National Bank in Ozona, First National Bank in Ennis and Security State Bank in Abilene before joining the ACU staff in 1993. He was mayor of Ennis in 1990-91. During his term as president of the bank in Ennis, he played a large role in raising "seed money" to fund the cost of obtaining basic geological information to support Ellis County's bid for the Superconducting Super Collider.

"I appreciate (ACU president) Dr. Royce Money, Dr. McCaleb, and (ACU vice president) Jack Rich for their strong support and for giving me this opportunity to give something back to my alma mater," Lambert said. "ACU has meant so much to me and my family for so long. We will always cherish the years we spent working on this campus. ACU and the ACU athletics program will always hold a special place in our hearts."

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