Former Crimson quarterback Joel Lamb '93, who completed his 18th season as a Harvard coach in 2023, begins his second year in 2025 as the program's associate head coach - director of recruiting strategy and alumni engagement.
In his first season in his new role, Lamb helped Harvard win its second straight Ivy League championship after the Crimson finished the campaign with an 8-2 record and a 5-2 mark against conference foes. The 2024 season saw Harvard return to the top-25 rankings after it won seven straight games at one point, rising to as high as No. 17 before finishing at No. 25 in the Stats Perform Top 25 Poll.
During the Crimson's Ivy-winning season in 2023, Lamb tutored a pair of quarterbacks to much success. Charles DePrima was one of the country's most electric quarterbacks, leading the Crimson to five straight victories to open the season. A dual-threat QB, DePrima finished with a team-best 958 yards passing and 12 TDs, while ranking second in rushing yards (518) and third in rushing touchdowns (5). Jaden Craig, meanwhile, led Harvard to three wins in its final four outings. The sophomore completed a team-high 59.8 percent of his pass attempts for 775 yards and four TDs. Craig was also a threat on the ground, rushing for a team-high seven touchdowns in seven games overall.
In 2022, Lamb coached quarterback Charlie Dean to his best season at Harvard. The senior signal caller passed for 2,101 yards and an Ivy League-best 18 touchdowns, numbers that rank eighth and tied for fourth, respectively, in Crimson single-season history. Dean's 12.43 yards per completion in '22, meanwhile, also ranked first in the Ivy. And despite having his career derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dean finished his career ranked 15th all-time in passing yards (2,705).
After Harvard did not compete in 2020 due to the pandemic, Lamb helped the quarterback position overcome injuries as the group helped the team to an 8-2 record in 2021. The Crimson QBs guided Harvard to the Ivy League's second-ranked scoring offense (32.4), which ultimately helped it end the season with three consecutive victories en route to its highest win total since 2015.
The Crimson offense set numerous records during the 2019 season, including Aidan Borguet, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, rushing for a Harvard-Yale record 269 yards and tying The Game record with four touchdowns. Twelve players earned All-Ivy League honors, including four members of the offense.
Harvard capped the 2018 campaign by defeating Yale, 45-27, in the highest scoring episode of The Game. The Crimson earned 13 All-Ivy selections, including five on the first team, and finished 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League. Aaron Shampklin led the Ivy League with 1,053 rushing yards while Tom Stewart ranked second with 18 touchdown passes.
In 2017, Harvard's rushing attack ranked in the top half of the Ivy League, churning out 153 yards per game on the ground. First-team All-Ivy League selection Charlie Booker III led that charge, ranking third in the conference in individual rushing.
The 2016 Harvard football team saw five players on offense earn All-Ivy honors, including four on the first team, as the Crimson averaged 26.2 points and 390.9 yards of total offense per contest.
En route to its 17th Ivy League championship in 2015, the Crimson offense finished first in the Ivy League with 36.4 points per game and 474.2 yards of total offense. Lamb guided seven players to All-Ivy first-team selections, including senior quarterback Scott Hosch, who was the Ancient Eight Offensive Player of the Year. Hosch was also named the New England Player of the Year after averaging 303.5 passing yards a game and setting the Harvard single-season passing record by tossing for 2,827 yards.
Despite missing several key players to lengthy injuries in 2014, the Crimson averaged 32.7 points per game en route to a perfect 10-0 season and its 16th Ivy League championship. Three offensive players were tabbed to the All-Ivy first team, as Harvard ranked 19th in the country in total offense (461.4). The Crimson had the definition of a balanced offense, averaging 230.9 yards per game through the air and 230.5 yards per contest on the ground.
In 2013, Lamb's Harvard offense contributed to the Crimson's 15th Ivy League title by racking up the nation's 32nd-best total offense of 426.1 yards per game, with 260.1 in the air and 166.0 on the ground. Harvard’s 371 points, good for 18th in the nation, landed second in program history behind 2012’s total of 394. The 39.4 points per game in 2012, which ranked fourth nationally, was driven by the second-highest scoring offense in the nation as the Crimson piled up 487.5 yards per game with a passing efficiency rating of 157.25. Those numbers came a year after the Crimson ranked 11th in scoring offense in 2011.
A 1993 Harvard graduate, Lamb returned to Cambridge in 2006. Harvard has ranked among the nation’s top 25 in either rushing or passing in six of the last seven seasons and finished in the top 20 in both categories in 2012.
Lamb was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in 2008. Eight Harvard quarterbacks have earned All-Ivy League honors, including Ivy League offensive players of the year Colton Chapple ’13 in 2012, Chris Pizzotti ’08-09 in 2008 and Scott Hosch '16 in 2015. Pizzotti went on to sign with the New York Jets.
Running back Gino Gordon ’11 also earned Ivy Player of the Year honors in 2010. In all, Harvard offensive players have gained 89 All-Ivy honors under Lamb: 41 first-team selections, 30 second-team picks and 18 honorable mentions. At least six players have garnered all-league recognition each season, and offensive players accounted for six of Harvard’s 10 first-team picks in 2012.
Lamb returned to Harvard following nine years as the quarterbacks coach at Yale. He was the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator for three seasons, with Yale twice leading the Ivy League in passing offense. His 2003 unit led the Ivies in passing offense, scoring offense and total offense.
Lamb helped Yale to the 1999 Ivy League championship, which was the Bulldogs' first league title in 10 years. He coached three of the four most prolific quarterbacks in Yale history: all-time passing leader Alvin Cowan, runner-up Joe Walland and Peter Lee, who ranks fourth in school history. Lamb's 2005 quarterback, Jeff Mroz, finished second on Yale's single-season passing chart and tied Cowan's school record with 22 touchdown passes before signing with the Dallas Cowboys.
Before joining the staff at Yale, Lamb was the quarterbacks coach at Amherst College for four years.
Lamb was a four-year member of Harvard's football program as an undergraduate and was the 1992 winner of the team's Henry N. Lamar Award, which recognizes dedication to the program, concern for his fellow man and contributions to Harvard football.
He went on to play competitively in England in 1994 with the Leeds Cougars of the British American Football Association.
A native of Natick, Massachusetts, Lamb was a three-sport captain at Natick High School and was an all-state quarterback. He also was a standout in baseball and basketball. Lamb graduated from Harvard in 1993 after concentrating in psychology. He holds a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts.
Lamb's father, Tom, was the longtime athletic director and football coach at Natick High School, while Joel's wife, Ainslee, served as the head field hockey coach at Boston College from 2005-14. They have a daughter, Brooklyn.
