Ray Lamb Record & More Info

With the renaming of Tiger Stadium to honor coach Lamb, check out his record and more information below.

Ray Lamb Record

Ray Lamb was the Commerce Tiger head football coach for 22 years from 1967-1988. He led his Commerce teams to a total record of (190-58-9); a (.766) winning percentage.

Under his leadership, the Tigers had one state football championship in 1981 and were runners up on two other occasions in 1973 and 1976. While he was head coach, Commerce won the region championship of Region 8 on eight occasions.

In 1977 and 1978 Commerce went to the final four game and lost to eventual state champion East Rome by one point in each contest. In the 1972 final four game, Commerce lost to eventual state champion Carrollton. Commerce also played in two other semi-final games in 1885 and 1986.

He exuded great character and leadership in the Commerce community and his efforts are greatly appreciated in promoting good sportsmanship, excellence and character in the youngsters that he touched. Many of Coach Lamb’s former players went on to be very successful in life as businessmen, doctors, lawyers, educators, coaches and numerous other occupations as well as being good husbands and fathers.

Coach Ray Lamb is the winningest head coach in Tiger football history. In 22 seasons at the Tiger helm, his teams had 19 winning seasons and had only three losing campaigns.

Coach Ray Lamb taught good fundamental, hard-nosed clean football and everyone enjoyed watching his teams play the game the way that it was designed to be played which was tough but in a sportsmanlike manner.

After three mediocre seasons in his first few years as head coach at Commerce, Lamb in his final 19 campaigns (1970-88), led the Tigers to a record of (178-42-7); a winning percentage of (.809).

Lamb’s Commerce home record over the same 19 seasons was an astounding (100-19-3);
a winning percentage of (.840).

Commerce’s great winning tradition indeed was built to its pinnacle by Ray Lamb who taught not only great winning football but character in the young men that he coached and taught.

In the decade of the 1970’s, the most losses that the Tigers incurred were two in any one year. The 70’s saw the Tigers win no state championships but lose their final game of the year in the finals or semi-finals on five occasions to the eventual state champions.

During this decade of the 1970’s, Commerce finished with a ten year record of (98-16-6);
a winning percentage of (.859). Considering all classifications of football in Georgia, only Warner Robins had a better record and winning percentage during the 1970’s.

Ray Lamb was one of the greatest of all Commerce Tiger coaches and led Commerce to state of Georgia athletic prominence and notoriety which the community still enjoys today.

Not only was Ray Lamb the one of the finest and most successful of all the coaches in Commerce football history, but he is one of the greatest in the state of Georgia having been chosen by his peers from the Georgia High School Coaches Association to be inducted into the GHSA Hall of Fame in Dalton, Georgia in 2006. He had a 32 year Georgia coaching record of (249-103-11), a .701 winning pct. At Warren County he won two state championships; at Commerce he won one state title and he also coached at Monroe Area High School.

Ray Lamb at Commerce
1967-88 – (190-58-9) .766

State Titles – 1
1981

State Runnerup – 2
1973, 1976

Final Four – 5
1972, 1977, 1978, 1985, 1986

Region Titles – 8
1972, 1973, 1976, 1977,
1978, 1981, 1985, 1986

Region Runnerup – 8
1970, 1971, 1979, 1982,
1983, 1984, 1987, 1988

Top 20 Winning Football Programs
in Georgia and
Stadium Names for a Former Coach

1.Valdosta
Cleveland Field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium

2.Lincoln County
Buddy Bufford Field

3.Clarke Central(Athens)
Death Valley Field at Billy Henderson Stadium

4.Gainesville
Bobby Gruhn Field

5.LaGrange
Callaway Stadium

6.Thomasville
Veterans Memorial Stadium

7.Marist
Hughes-Spalding Stadium

8.Dalton
Harmon Field at Bill Chappell Stadium

9.Americus-Sumter
Finkler-Robinson Stadium

10.Statesboro
Womack Stadium

11.Washington-Wilkes
Tiger Field

12.Cartersville
Andy Weinman Stadium

13.Carrollton
Charlie Grisham Stadium

14.Fitzgerald
Jaycee Stadium

15.Cairo
West Thomas Stadium

16.Thomson
The Brickyard

17.Colquitt County(Moultrie)
Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium

18.Marietta
French Johnson Field at Jake Northcutt Stadium

19.Dublin
Shamrock Bowl

20.Commerce
Tiger Field at Ray Lamb Stadium

** – Underlined and Highlighted denotes
Stadium named for a former coach

jp-5/11/12