Hall of Fame
Tom Lambert is the lone Hall of Fame inductee this year that is not a Slippery Rock alum, but is being enshrined for his outstanding contributions to the university in many capacities, most notably for founding the judo program. Lambert, who passed away in 1997, attended West Chester University and graduated in 1953. He came to SRU as a professor and was named the Teacher of the Year in 1968. Four years later he founded the judo program in 1972 and just four years after that was leading the program to championships. He led the SRU women to Eastern College titles in 1976-80 and was named the Eastern Coach of the Year in 1977. His women's squad also took titles from 1984-86 and was national runner-up in 1979. Lambert also led the men's squad to the Eastern title in 1986. In addition to his efforts with the judo program, Lambert also spent time as an assistant coach with the track and field team and with the swimming and diving team, as well as serving an interim stint as the coach of the gymnastics team. He also served as the public address announcer for the football team for many years.
