4th and goal.

The Indians have their backs against the wall. The Hayden players, with physical strength on their side, had already been denied three times in their attempt to punch the ball into the endzone. For Manhattan, a stop here would give them the ball back. All they would need is one player to step up. Coaches frantically signal plays from the sideline. Hayden’s quarterback bellows out the call to his team and the ball is snapped. The fullback receives the handoff and quickly turns his eyes to the endzone. It’s on.

Enter Joe Dooley.

He’s hardly the biggest or the fastest linebacker to ever step foot onto the turf for MHS. In fact, he’s probably about 30 to 40 pounds lighter than the fullback heading straight in his direction. The fullback, sensing the physical mismatch, prepares to plow his way into the endzone. It doesn’t get much easier than this, or so he thinks. Dooley, sticking true to the fundamentals, drills his facemask into the fullback’s chest as the two collide. Smack! The fullback desperately tries to force himself forward, but he isn’t going anywhere. A group of Indian defenders swarm to Dooley’s side and force down the ball carrier. It’s a goal line stand. MHS victory.

To the viewers in the stands, the game had been over for a long time. The score had been 36-0 in favor of Manhattan. Dooley himself was only a third string player. To the team, however, all of this was irrelevant. Every play mattered. They would continue to play their hardest throughout all four quarters. Giving up would never be an option. They would play the game Coach Lamb’s way: the Manhattan way.

“I told my players, I don’t care if you are first string, I don’t care if you are third string, if you step on the field you better play like you were from Manhattan High,” Pat Lamb said. “I’ll never forget him, Joe Dooley. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud. That kid was playing like it was for the championship. That’s why you coach.”

Throughout his 40 years of coaching, Pat Lamb has always emphasized character to his players. Learning the right attitudes, expectations, and how to be competitor were all crucial. To him, that’s what football is all about. He’s carried this message with him both on the field as a coach and in the classroom as a teacher. Life, he says, is all about giving everything your best shot.

“Pain is temporary, pride is forever,” Lamb said. “That’s something football has taught me. It’s not enough to just want to be good. Everybody wants to be good. Are you willing to work hard enough and sacrifice enough to be good? That’s the difference.”

Lamb’s philosophy continues to make an impact on his former players. Even now as members of the varsity team, players haven’t forgotten the valuable lessons that he taught them.

“Coach Lamb treated us like men, and that’s why I’ve always respected him,” junior AJ Pablo said. “He taught us the tradition of Manhattan as well as values and how to conduct ourselves as men.”

Junior Adam Al-Soltani agrees.

“Coach Lamb was awesome,” Al-Soltani said. “I learned that no matter what goes on in life and in football, you’ve just gotta keep going. Never quit.”

It’s been almost exactly a year since Lamb decided to step down as head coach of the freshman football team at MHS. After lots of thinking, Lamb realized the time was right to retire. The chance to spend more time with his family, specifically his father, and the opportunity to open the door to one of the younger, up-and-coming coaches to find a spot with the team heavily influenced his decision. Memories of standing on the sideline surrounded by his players are still fresh in his memory though, and the desire to come back onto the field hasn’t completely gone away. Even today, it has been difficult for Lamb to move on from the game he has come to love throughout the years.

“I can’t walk up on practice fields anymore. That’s too hard for me to do,” Lamb said. “I can watch them play games, but I can’t walk on the practice field.”

Thankfully though, Lamb has found other ways to keep up with football. For a while, he continued to run the down and distance board during games, and kept close tabs on the team. After several radio analysts, including former Kansas Sportcaster of the Year Matt Walters, stepped down from their positions at KMAN, a new job became available in the radio booth. After listening to recommendations from coaches and to those close to the team, KMAN presented Lamb the opportunity to work as the MHS varsity football radio color analyst alongside John Kurtz.

“I thought about it, and since I went to all of the games anyway, I thought I’d give it a shot,” Lamb said.

As a color analyst, the job doesn’t just happen on Friday nights. Hard work and preparation throughout the week is necessary to be effective in the booth. Lamb usually begins the process with a chat with head coach Joe Schartz, collecting knowledge of game tactics and information on the opposing team. He then sits back and watches game film, jotting down notes as he goes. By the time the process is over, Lamb has put together neatly-typed notes devoted to offense and defense, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each team. These serve as valuable references for him throughout the game. Perhaps equally important to Lamb’s knowledge base is his understanding of the game at a coach’s point of view. According to him, it helps him catch things that might not be noticed by an inexperienced eye.

“The coaching aspect really helps. When you look and call plays [as a coach], you have to watch defenses. You have to see where they have a weak spot and see where they are strong,” Lamb said. “You have to do the same thing upstairs and that helps you realize what’s going on. It helps that I’ve done it before.”

Even though he no longer coaching on the field anymore, Lamb appreciates and respects what the football team has accomplished this season. After a major coaching turnover coming into the year, he has been impressed by the team’s transition. Quality coaching has been a vital piece of the success. But at the end of the day, he points out, it all comes back to character. There were moments throughout the season where the going was tough, but the team never quit. That, Lamb says, is true toughness.

“I love this school. The kids here don’t give up. They are mentally and physically tough,” Lamb said. “Our kids fought. They played like they were from Manhattan and I’m really proud of that.”