Pat Lamb
Professor of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation
Pat Lamb came to Carleton in 1962 and retired from teaching in 1994. She was the first director or women’s athletics at Carleton, serving from 1972-85, and was instrumental in the development of a successful and diverse program of varsity sports for women.
Lamb also served in numerous leadership positions in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). This organization originated a system of state, regional and national championships in a variety of sports and established the groundwork for the eventual assumption of an equitable women’s program by the NCAA.
Although Lamb coached and assisted in the development of many emerging sports at Carleton, her specialty was tennis. As women’s tennis coach, she led Carleton to eight out of ten Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Championships. The trophy awarded to the ACM champion was retired in 1982 and given a permanent home at Carleton. As a member of the newly established women’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Carleton team captured three consecutive championships from 1985-87.
Upon her retirement from coaching in 1987, and in recognition of her many years of leadership and service to women’s collegiate tennis, Lamb was selected as the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year. In 1992, she was inducted into the Minnesota Tennis Hall of Fame.