WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Former University of Central Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Lamberson has been named the 30th head football coach of the Mules football program, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jerry Hughes announced Tuesday, Feb. 8.

"We are excited to have Coach Lamberson back in the Mules football family," Hughes said. "He is a man of high energy and will lead Mules football to new heights. We welcome Josh and his family back to the University of Central Missouri and the Warrensburg community."

Lamberson, who served as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the Mules from 2010-14 under former UCM head coach Jim Svoboda, returns to Warrensburg after serving as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for Division I Abilene Christian University from 2017-21.

"I am extremely blessed and honored to be the next head coach at the University of Central Missouri," Lamberson said. "UCM has always felt like home for my family, and we are excited about coming back to the Warrensburg community. I am thrilled to be a part of a phenomenal athletic department with an extremely high standard of excellence. Mr. Hughes does a fantastic job of supporting his coaches and giving them the resources, they need to be successful. I am excited to continue to build on the firm foundation set in place by Coach Svoboda and continue the standards of excellence for many years to come."

As the offensive coordinator for the Mules, he assisted UCM to 70 offensive school records and 24 MIAA offensive records and was a part of the top-five offenses in program history.

He helped Central Missouri to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in school history in 2010 and 2011 and coached 2010 Harlan Hill trophy winner (top player in NCAA Division II) and first team All-American quarterback Eric Czerniewski.

Lamberson coached seven All-Americans in his tenure as offensive coordinator at Central Missouri, including Czerniewski, wide receiver Jamorris Warren, running back Anthony Stewart, tight end Demarco Cosby, wide receiver Jamar Howard, tight end David Cannon and offensive lineman Logan Freeman.

During his time at Abilene Christian, he helped the Wildcats to their most wins in a three-year span since becoming an NCAA Division I FCS program and coached 11 all-conference selections.

Abilene Christian also compiled a 3.25 team grade-point average in 2019 and tallied the most improved NCAA A.P.R. in the Southland Conference.

Before Abilene Christian, Lamberson served as the head coach at MIAA member Nebraska Kearney from 2015-17. While with the Lopers, he coached 20 All-MIAA selections, including 2015 and 2016 Harlan Hill Finalist and first team All-American Tyke Kozeal.

A combined 56 Nebraska Kearney student-athletes received Academic All-Conference accolades while Lamberson was the head coach.

Lamberson served as the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Okla., from 2008 to 2010 and was a graduate assistant quarterbacks coach for Northwest Missouri State from 2006-08.

In his nine years as an assistant coach, Lamberson helped teams to a combined 80-30 record, including a 39-19 tally with the Mules, 13-9 at Southeastern Oklahoma State and 28-2 at Northwest Missouri State.

As a graduate assistant for the Bearcats, he was a member of the 2006 and 2007 MIAA conference champions and NCAA Division II National Runners Up teams. Both the 2006 and 2007 teams went undefeated in MIAA conference play. He compiled a record of 28-3 as the quarterbacks coach and coached All-MIAA selections Josh Matthews and Joel Osborne.

Lamberson was an All-American quarterback for the Bearcats and helped Northwest Missouri to the 2005 NCAA Division II national championship game. He was named the MVP of the 2005 national title game and posted an overall record of 25-6 as the Bearcats' starting quarterback.

He also excelled in the classroom and was an ESPN academic all-America as a senior with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

A native of Wilber, Neb., Lamberson graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in corporate recreation in 2005 and earned his master's degree in education from Northwest Missouri in 2007.

Lamberson and his wife, Mandy, have a daughter, Kiya, and son, Ace.

An introductory press conference for Coach Lamberson will occur Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 11:30 a.m. at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg. It is open to the public and will be live streamed for free on the MIAA Network (TheMIAANetwork.com/UCMMULES). 

What they're saying about Coach Lamberson…

University of Central Missouri President, Dr. Roger Best
"Coach Lamberson is a person of integrity and has been highly successful on and off the field. He has a deep appreciation for Mules football and our university culture, and we are grateful to have him as our head football coach. I look forward to his leadership of the program and the positive impact he will have on our student-athletes, his coaching staff, and the community at large."

Former Mules football head coach, Jim Svoboda
"Congratulations to Coach Lamberson and his wife Mandy on reuniting with the UCM family. I have a long history with Coach Lamberson dating back to when I recruited him as a high school player. One thing that has never changed about Josh is his relentless commitment to excellence in everything he does. His infectious energy and vision for the program will quickly permeate the program and the community. The players of UCM deserve such an outstanding coach, and I can't wait to see him put his stamp on the program while taking it to exciting new heights."

Former Northwest Missouri State head football coach and Athletic Director, Mel Tjeerdsma
"Since the day we started recruiting Josh as a high school senior, I've known him as a man of integrity. He always displayed class and character in everything he did. He was a great leader as a player, and I've witnessed those same qualities as I've watched him grow as a coach. Josh Lamberson is a winner, and everyone associated with UCM football should be proud to have him as the leader of their football program."