CAPE COD, Mass. (Jan. 5) – The California University of Pennsylvania football team claimed the Division II Lambert Meadowlands Cup from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) for the third-consecutive season announced the organization recently.
The Vulcans earned the third Lambert Trophy in school history after ending the season with an 11-4 record and appearing in the NCAA Semifinals. Along the way, Cal U set several statistical records with its performance on the field, including most points, passing yards and total offense in a single season.
In his eighth season as head coach,
John Luckhardt led Cal U to its fifth-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title and a consecutive appearance in the PSAC Championship. In the playoffs, the Vulcans advanced to the national semifinals with an average margin of victory over 18.7 points in wins over Fayetteville State (N.C.), Shippensburg and West Liberty. In the semifinals, Cal U fell 56-31 to eventual-National Champion Northwest Missouri State.
The final weekly Lambert Meadowlands Poll was released on Monday evening. Cal U finished atop the poll with 120 points, while Shippensburg was second with 108 points, Edinboro third with 96 points and East Stroudsburg fourth with 84 points. All four schools are members of the PSAC and received at-large berths to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Rounding out the final Division II weekly poll were Bentley, Clarion, West Chester, Bloomsburg, Merrimack and Southern Connecticut State. Additionally, Gannon received votes.
Joining Cal U as Lambert Trophy winners for the 2009 season are Penn State (FBS), Villanova (FCS) and Wesley (Division III). Only the Nittany Lions and Vulcans are repeat winners of the trophy in their respective divisions.
Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was recreated to recognize non-Division I-A teams, in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.
To be eligible for the Lambert Meadowlands Award, a school must be located in the East or play at least half of its schedule against eligible Lambert Meadowlands teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if at least half of their schedule features eligible teams. Teams in Eastern-based football conferences, regardless of location, qualify if at least half their schedule is against Lambert Meadowlands eligible teams.