Football
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- football@mercer.edu
- Phone:
- (478) 301-2713
Since guiding the Bears through a return to the gridiron in 2013, following a 72-year hiatus, Bobby Lamb has continued to build the Mercer football program into a focal point of Macon and the surrounding Middle Georgia communities.
Lamb enters his seventh season as Mercer’s head football coach in 2019.
Named the 19th head football coach in program history in 2011, Lamb led the Bears to immediate success in their first season of action in 2013, claiming the third 10-win season of his coaching career and setting the NCAA Division I record for wins by a first-year program with a 10-2 campaign. The 2013 win total also set a school record for victories, surpassing the previous mark (7), which was set by Lake Russell’s 1931 & 1932 squads. For his efforts, Lamb finished third in the PFL Coach of the Year voting & ranked among the top 11 finalists for FCS National Coach of the Year.
Since taking the helm at Mercer, Lamb’s players have excelled as model student-athletes in the classroom and in the community, participating in numerous volunteering initiatives with local schools, educational programs and more. Three Bears – John Russ, Thomas Marchman and Isaiah Buehler – have been AFCA Good Works Team nominees, recognizing them as outstanding community service leaders.
Lamb’s football program has helped the Mercer athletics department rank atop the Southern Conference in academic standing for three consecutive years by winning three straight Barrett-Bonner Awards and leading the league in academic all-conference selections for three straight years as well.
In 2018:
Lamb earned his 100th career victory in a 45-3 win over Jacksonville on Sept. 8 at home and guided the Bears to their fourth consecutive season with four Southern Conference wins. He earned a signature road victory at No. 9 nationally-ranked Samford in week three, as newly-announced starting quarterback Robert Riddle threw for 316 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in a 30-24 upset. Lamb played a key role in the development of Riddle, who was sidelined with a season-ending injury in week four.
Lamb saw the Bears rank third nationally in red zone offensive efficiency (92.1 percent). The Bears had seven players earn All-SoCon postseason honors while Tyray Devezin and David Durden - both returnees for the 2019 campaign - earn HERO Sports FCS All-American accolades. Lamb and his staff continued to thrive on the recruiting trail after the end of the 2018 season, as the Bears brought in a 22-man 2019 signing class that ranked among the nation's best.
Lamb additionally played a role in the installation of a video board that measures 30 feet tall and 72 feet wide.
In 2017:
Lamb led the Bears through a difficult 11-game slate in 2017 and matched the program’s most conference wins since joining the SoCon (4). Mercer went 5-6 overall (4-4 SoCon) with two road wins over FCS nationally-ranked No. 17 The Citadel (Oct. 7) and No. 25 Western Carolina (Nov. 11).
The Bears faced a tall task as the only collegiate football team to play at both Auburn and Alabama in 2017. Despite two losses to the historic powerhouse programs, Mercer trailed Auburn by just seven points with five minutes remaining in the contest and forced the Tigers into five turnovers, their most in a single game since 2012.
A program-record 12 Bears captured all-conference honors at the conclusion of the season, led by freshman quarterback Kaelan Riley, who was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year. Under Lamb’s guidance, Riley was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award and set the program record for completion percentage (59.4). The young quarterback set Mercer freshman records in attempts (288), completions (171) and passing yards (2,030) while assuming a position held formerly by John Russ for four years.
Mercer was the FCS national leader in fumbled recovered (16) and kickoff return defense (14.41 yards allowed per return) and ranked fifth nationally in red zone offense (91.4 percent). The Bears also led the SoCon in turnovers gained (25), turnover margin (+9) and red zone defense (.750).
In 2016:
Mercer doubled its conference wins total for the third straight year, going 4-4 en route to its second winning season (6-5) since returning to the gridiron. The Bears picked up wins against Tennessee Tech, VMI, Western Carolina, Austin Peay, ETSU & Furman while going 4-1 at Five Star Stadium.
Sophomore Marquise Irvin had a breakout year at wide receiver, setting single-season program records in receptions (65), yards (755) and touchdowns (7) while helping senior quarterback John Russ pace the Bears with 2,999 total offensive yards.
Lamb and the Bears also saw their first four-year class of 30 student-athletes graduate at the end of the year.
In 2015:
The Orange and Black compiled a 5-6 record (2-5 SoCon) in their second season in the SoCon. Mercer’s campaign was highlighted by an upset victory over No. 3 Chattanooga, 17-14, at Five Star Stadium on Nov. 7. The win marked Mercer’s first victory over a nationally-ranked Top 25 FCS opponent and its first SoCon win at home.
Five of Mercer’s six losses came by seven points or less in the closely-fought season. The Bears boasted a league-best defense that allowed just 21.6 points per game and also led the SoCon in turnover margin (+11). Nine Bears earned all-conference honors at the end of the year.
In 2014:
Lamb led the Bears into the highly-touted Southern Conference in 2014, just one year removed from the program’s return to football. The SoCon served as a familiar league for the veteran coach, who ranks inside the top five on the conference’s all-time wins list. Despite featuring a roster of primarily underclassmen, Lamb guided Mercer to a 6-6 overall record as well as the program’s first SoCon victory in a 27-24 triumph at VMI.
Boasting one of the SoCon’s most dynamic offenses and a defense that ranked among the nation’s leaders in forced turnovers, Lamb’s team was once again well represented in both conference and national postseason honors. The Bears had seven players garner All-SoCon recognition, including First Team selections Chandler Curtis and Alex Lakes. The freshman duo were each named Jerry Rice Award finalists, becoming the third and fourth Bears to receive the honor in the program’s first two seasons.
Curtis, a dynamic return man, did not stop there, as he became the first player in program history to garner FCS All-America honors while also receiving College Football Performance Awards’ FCS Returner of the Year accolades.
In 2013:
Lamb led Mercer to unprecedented success for a first-year program in 2013 with a program record of 10 wins, including a perfect 8-0 mark at home.
Mercer ranked second in the FCS in rushing, using a balanced attack to pour on 277.9 rushing yards per contest. The Bears had three players gain over 750 yards on the ground, led by freshman quarterback John Russ. The dual-threat quarterback was named a Jerry Rice Award finalist and an All-PFL Second Team selection following an impressive year that saw him compile 1,916 yards through the air and 9-3 yards on the ground to go along with 33 total touchdowns.
Despite seeing the Bears picked to finish 11th in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Lamb led Mercer to a 6-2 conference record and third-place finish in the league. For his efforts, he finished third in the PFL Coach of the Year voting and ranked among the top 11 finalists for FCS National Coach of the Year.
The Bears showed immediate success in the classroom as well under Lamb, compiling a team grade-point average above 3.0 during both semesters in 2013-14. The team featured 46 players on the Pioneer Football League’s Academic Honor Roll for the 2013 fall semester, while Caleb Brown, Rob East and John Russ were named Academic All-PFL.
Before Mercer:
Lamb’s Furman teams posted outstanding academic credentials. In the seven seasons since the NCAA instituted the Academic Progress Rate (APR) monitoring system – which tracks eligibility, retention and graduation – Furman’s program produced the highest APR scores among Southern Conference schools.
Likewise, Furman football had the SoCon’s top results on the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) with a score of 97 percent in 2009-10.
During his tenure guiding Furman’s program, Lamb had a 67-40 record (.626) as its head coach. He led the Paladins to winning records in eight of his nine seasons and made four trips to the NCAA I-AA (now Football Championship Series) playoffs, reaching the quarterfinals in 2004 and the semifinals in 2005.
His 2004 squad won the SoCon championship and Lamb was tabbed as the league’s Coach of the Year. He also produced three runner-up, two third-place and two fourth-place SoCon finishes during his tenure. Lamb’s Paladins achieved national rankings of No. 5 in 2004 and No. 3 in 2005.
Including his 16 seasons as an assistant coach – where he spent the majority of his time as the passing game coordinator and working with quarterbacks – Lamb’s Furman teams compiled a composite record of 193-105-3 (.646) in 25 seasons. When you factor in Lamb’s four seasons as a quarterback for the Paladins from 1982 to 1985, when Furman was 39-10-1, his aggregate won-loss record jumps to .667. In 30 seasons of coaching on the collegiate gridiron, Lamb has only been involved with four below .500 campaigns.
As a player at Furman, Lamb was a part of three SoCon championship teams and three NCAA I-AA playoff berths. As a senior, he was the SoCon Player of the Year, the NCAA I-AA passing efficiency national leader and led the Paladins to an NCAA I-AA national runner-up finish. He is also a member of Furman’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I have been very impressed with President Underwood and Athletic Director Jim Cole and the vision and leadership they are providing at Mercer,” said Lamb of his decision to come to the Macon institution. “One of the qualities that most attracted me to Mercer was their emphasis on the true student-athlete. I have spent the past 29 years at an institution with very similar expectations.
“Sometimes the term student-athlete is used nonchalantly. People forget that it is student first and athlete second. I have always stressed the importance of academics before athletics as a player, coach, and father. I believe my philosophy for building strong men who will become leaders in their communities, will be a perfect fit with Mercer.
“God has provided this tremendous opportunity for me to assist in the reinstatement of football at Mercer. I look forward to leading Mercer football to the top.”
Lamb is a 1982 graduate of Commerce (Ga.) High School and went on to earn his B.A. in health and exercise science from Furman in 1987. He also earned his M.Ed. degree from Furman in health and exercise science in 1992.
Lamb, who was born on Christmas Eve in 1962, is married to the former Allyson Acker. The couple has two children: a daughter, Sallie, and a son, Taylor.
Year by Year with Bobby Lamb
| Year | School | Position | Record | Postseason | Notes |
| 1986 | Furman | Student Assistant/QBs | 7-3-2 | NCAA I-AA Quarterfinals | |
| 1987 | Furman | Defensive Ends | 7-4 | ||
| 1988 | Furman | Defensive Ends | 13-2 | NCAA I-AA National Champions | SoCon Champions |
| 1989 | Furman | Quarterbacks | 12-2 | NCAA I-AA Semifinals | SoCon Champions |
| 1990 | Furman | Quarterbacks | 9-4 | NCAA I-AA Quarterfinals | SoCon Champions |
| 1991 | Furman | Quarterbacks | 7-4 | ||
| 1992 | Furman | Quarterbacks | 6-5 | ||
| 1993 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 5-5-1 | ||
| 1994 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 3-8 | ||
| 1995 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 6-5 | ||
| 1996 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 9-4 | NCAA I-AA Quarterfinals | |
| 1997 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 7-4 | ||
| 1998 | Furman | QBs/Receivers/Passing Game Coord. | 5-6 | ||
| 1999 | Furman | QBs/Passing Game Coord. | 9-3 | NCAA I-AA Playoffs | SoCon Champions; defeated UNC, 28-3 |
| 2000 | Furman | QBs/Passing Game Coord. | 9-3 | NCAA I-AA Playoffs | |
| 2001 | Furman | QBs/Passing Game Coord. | 12-3 | NCAA I-AA National Runner-Up | SoCon Champions |
| 2002 | Furman | Head Coach | 8-4 | NCAA I-AA Playoffs | |
| 2003 | Furman | Head Coach | 6-5 | ||
| 2004 | Furman | Head Coach | 10-3 | NCAA I-AA Quarterfinals | SoCon Champions |
| 2005 | Furman | Head Coach | 11-3 | NCAA I-AA Semifinals | |
| 2006 | Furman | Head Coach | 8-4 | NCAA I-AA Playoffs | |
| 2007 | Furman | Head Coach | 6-5 | ||
| 2008 | Furman | Head Coach | 7-5 | ||
| 2009 | Furman | Head Coach | 6-5 | ||
| 2010 | Furman | Head Coach | 5-6 | ||
| 2013 | Mercer | Head Coach | 10-2 | NCAA record for most wins by first-year program | |
| 2014 | Mercer | Head Coach | 6-6 | ||
| 2015 | Mercer | Head Coach | 5-6 | Program's first win over nationally-ranked opponent | |
| 2016 | Mercer | Head Coach | 6-5 | ||
| 2017 | Mercer | Head Coach | 5-6 | Twice defeated nationally-ranked opponents | |
| 99-65 |
