Getty Images Pittsburgh Steelers helmet.
The toothless visage of former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert remains one of the most iconic images in NFL history. Now, if you’re so inclined, you can make a bid to buy the baby blue plastic container that held his false teeth during games.
The tooth holder (“teeth not included”) is one of 23 items that the Pro Football Hall of Famer has put up for auction via Lelands.com. Bidding on items from the Jack Lambert Collection got underway on February 25th and will continue until April 2nd at 11 p.m. ET.
The guys at @Lelandsdotcom are auctioning off the case that Steelers great Jack Lambert put his false teeth in before each game. It’s autographed by Lambert. It has received its opening bid of $300.
To date, the items that have received the highest bids are: Lambert’s autographed game worn helmet from the 1976 Pro Bowl, which started at $5,000 and currently stands at $7,320; and a white, game worn Pro Bowl jersey from the 1970s, which started at $3,000 and has been bid up to $3,630.
Other Items from the Jack Lambert Collection include:
– Jack Lambert’s Steelers sideline jacket (1970s)
– His Kent State letterman’s jacket
– Worn practice jerseys and jacket
– Game worn cleats
– His Kent State Defensive Player of the Year Golden Helmet Award
– His 1972 M.A.C. Kent State Defensive Player of the Year trophy
– A signed football that was presented to Lambert at his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement
– A set of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive play call sheets
Jack Lambert’s Hall of Fame Career
Jack Lambert, now 68, entered the NFL in 1974 as a second-round pick out of Kent State University, part of what is widely considered to be the greatest rookie class in NFL history, one that produced five Pro Football Hall of Famers: Lynn Swann (2001), Lambert, John Stallworth (2002), Mike Webster (1997) and Donnie Shell (2020). The latter will be enshrined this summer, on the same weekend as former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and former Steelers scout Bill Nunn (aka ‘The Dynasty Builder’), as well as ex-Steelers guard Alan Faneca, who like Nunn, was elected to the Class of 2021 earlier this year.
Lambert played 146 regular season games and 18 playoff games for the Steelers over the course of 11 years, during which time he was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and was first-team All-Pro six times. He was a key component of four Super Bowl-winning teams and intimidated opponents at every turn, despite being undersized for his position, even by the standards of his era. One of his best seasons came in 1976, when the Steelers allowed a total of just 28 points (and only one touchdown) during a nine-game winning streak.
Lambert retired after the 1984 campaign, plagued by a dislocated left big toe suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs at Three Rivers Stadium on the second play of the ’84 season. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
At his retirement press conference at Three Rivers Stadium he said: “There is not an owner or organization, a team or a coaching staff, or people in a city that I would rather play for in the entire world. The kindness Arthur J. Rooney Sr. has shown over the years and the kindness the people in the city of Pittsburgh have shown is kindness I can never repay.”
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Ex-Steelers LB Jack Lambert Auctioning Memorabilia, ‘Teeth Not Included’