Josh Lambert, an award-winning kicker for the West Virginia Mountaineers, is seen here warming up on the sidelines during the OU-West Virginia game on Oct. 3 in Norman.
Choctaw Football Player Kicks Stigma of Diabetes, Finds Success
By Ronni Pierce
Choctaw Nation
Norman, Okla. - Josh Lambert’s list of accomplishments since being diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 10 is no mean feat.
An award-winning, two-year starter at kicker for the Big 12 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, 2014 accolades include:
- Finalist for the Lou Groza Award
- All-American second team
- All-Big 12 Conference first team selection by the AP and second team by the coaches,
- Holds the NCAA record for most field goals made at 40 yards or more in a season (16)
- Tied the NCAA season record for most contests with multiple field goals made in a game (10)
- No. 2 kicker in the nation in scoring (135)
- Made the most field goals nationally in 2014 (30)
- No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 1 nationally in field goals made per game (2.31)
- Led team in scoring with 135 points, which was a WVU record for kick scoring in a season
- Four straight games (Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor) with a field goal of more than 50 yards
- Was 4-for-5 on field goals of 50 or more yards in 2014
- His 54-yard field goal vs. Baylor gave him four field goals of 50 yards or more for the season and five overall, which tied him with Paul Woodside for the most in school history
- His then career long 54-yard field goal against No. 4 Oklahoma was second-longest in school history
- Two-year starter at Garland, Texas, high school and named All-District 10-5A first team kicker as a senior
Described as a quiet, private young man by his grandfather Butch Lambert, he is also a long-time patient of the Choctaw Diabetes Wellness Clinic.
“Whether it’s dentist appointments, eye appointments, anytime I need to see an endocrinologist, they have been nothing but accommodating,” Lambert said about the Nation’s health services group. He continued, “I can’t say enough good things about what Choctaw Nation has done for me.”
Lambert was actually playing soccer at the time when he was first diagnosed and didn’t really understand the implications of the disease on his health or any potential sports activities.
With type 1 diabetes the body doesn’t make insulin and, unchecked, the disease can lead to heart and kidney disease, nerve damage, and any number of other complications.
However, there is a long list of athletes who have found success in their respective sports after getting the disease under control. Golfer Scott Verplank, the Chicago Bears’ Jay Cutler, the Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson, and the Texas Rangers’ Mark Lowe are just a few successful athletes living with type 1 diabetes.
Team Novo Nordisk is a global all-diabetes sports team of cyclists, triathletes, and runners who compete to dispel the fatalistic myths surrounding the disease. The team’s stated mission is “to inspire, educate, and empower people affected by diabetes.”
“Pretty early on I knew if I took care of business, it’s not going to slow me down,” said Lambert. “Don’t let it affect you—you have to be the boss of it.”
With his genealogy, he also knows the high rate of the disease in Native Americans.
His Choctaw heritage is traced down from the maternal side back to the Magees and Monatubbees in Mississippi.
His grandfather Butch said that one of their ancestors, She Ni Yah, was always referred to as Choctaw Rose.
And Butch’s Uncle Jonsey Jones was a fancy dancer and an excellent bead worker while his sister Mary Joene Cook has won some awards for her beadwork.
“I understand in our people there is a higher rate of diabetes,” Lambert continued, “so if you take care of it, it shouldn’t slow you down, you can do whatever you want to do.”
The red shirted sophomore also knows that taking care of his health may lead him into the next phase of a promising sports career—the pros. “If I am fortunate enough to go to the next level, I can’t turn that down.”
The Choctaw Nation Diabetes Wellness Clinic is located in Talihina, 800-349-7026 ext. 6942 or 6959. It not only treats the illness but also focuses on prevention in the public schools promoting healthy lifestyle choices through diet and exercise.