Josh Lambo Named Jaguars' Nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

Veteran kicker Josh Lambo has been nominated by the Jaguars for one of the most prestigious awards in the NFL, one year after Calais Campbell won the award.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo joined a prestigious group on Thursday, being named along with 31 other players as this year's nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes the NFL player that best demonstrates outstanding community service and excellence on the field. 

"Lambo has dedicated his time, talents and resources to a variety of causes during his time in Jacksonville, but he’s engaged most frequently with two causes close to his heart: special education and pet adoption," the Jaguars said in a statement. 

"Since 2017, Lambo has been a frequent visitor to the North Florida School of Special Education and their 185 students. Earlier this year, he led the Lambo Literacy Challenge to help raise $30,000 for the school through daily reading challenges. He regularly visits the school on his days off for birthday parties, pumpkin decorating or just to kick around the soccer ball during playtime. In 2019, he brought his bandmates to the school for an impromptu concert for the students. While the pandemic has limited his ability to interact in person with students, Lambo has taken time this year to read to classrooms virtually.

" An animal lover with his own rescue dog named Indie, Lambo is a passionate advocate for pet adoption and has represented the cause on his cleats annually during the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign. At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, he joined with local shelter Fur Sisters - Furever Urs Rescue Inc. to cover the cost of pet adoptions for one week. In that short time, 16 dogs were adopted. He extended his offer for another 20 dogs and worked with local companies Pet Paradise and Pet Wants to also supply six months of pet food to new dog owners."

Former Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell won the award last season, becoming the first-ever Jaguars player to win the prestigious honor. 

Lambo has played for the Jaguars since the middle of the 2017 season and has been one of the faces of the team ever since. He has battled a number of injuries that have limited him to just a handful of games this season, but the consistent All-Pro clearly still makes an impact even when he isn't on the field. 

 "Mr. Lambo is fun to spend time with when he comes out to the school. He has played sports with us and he is also great at running the library. My friends and I look up to him and not just because he plays football," said John Swanda, a 12th-grade student at the North Florida School of Special Education, which is located in Jacksonville.

Since joining the Jaguars, Lambo set and then tied a team record when he made 24 consecutive field goals from Nov. 19, 2017 – Nov. 11, 2018 and again from Dec. 2, 2018 – Nov. 3, 2019. He owns a franchise-best 95% field goal percentage connecting on 76 of 80 attempts since joining the team, the highest mark by a player in the NFL since 2017.

Lambo ranks third in franchise history in made field goals (76) and fourth in extra points (68) and has made all 46 field goal attempts in home games since 2017, becoming the only kicker in the NFL in the past three seasons to connect on 100 percent of their kicks at home. Last season, he made 33 field goals, the most in franchise history in a single season.

But while Lambo has set himself apart as one of the best players on Jacksonville's roster and one of the best kickers in the NFL, it is the work he does when he isn't kicking field goals that is changing lives. 

"To me, what truly sets Josh apart is not his financial commitment to the school, but the way he truly cares for the students and wants to connect with them," said Sally Hazelip, Head of School at North Florida School of Special Education

"From spending his birthday at our school, celebrating with each of our 185 students, to supporting them during the pandemic lockdown by reading books virtually and joining online classes, Josh is an MVP at North Florida School of Special Education."

The 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a prime-time awards special to air the week of Super Bowl LV on CBS.

All 32 nominees will receive a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice.