CeeDee Lamb embraces legacy of Dallas Cowboys’ 88 Club, wants to be Hall of Famer
CeeDee Lamb is Houston through and through.
Standing for an impromptu photo shoot on the edge of east downtown just north of 3rd Ward, murals of some of the city’s most identifiable citizens like rapper Paul Wall and Beyonce in historic Graffiti Park, the smile on his face is as round as loop 610 and the pride for his city is undeniable.
But Lamb’s hunger for a new start and excitement about embracing a new city is palpable.
So the former Oklahoma star who saw his dreams come true when he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys can’t wait to pack up his new Ford 250 and head north on the I-45 to begin what he hopes to be the start of a Hall of Fame career, one that tracks in the footsteps of legendary Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.
“Be a Hall of Famer,” Lamb said boldly when asked for his career goals. “Have as much of an impact or more that Michael had on the game and on America’s Team. I want to be on a team that makes unbelievable memories together. I feel like that is what we are going to do here.”
“I can’t wait.”
There won’t be any turning back for Lamb, just as there wasn’t after his previous two moves.
The first was from Louisiana to Texas with his family when he was as a child. This was back when he was known by his birth name. Only his mom is allowed to call him Cedarian, and a certain reporter may never get another interview after putting it in print.
CeeDee, his preference, was a nickname that a peewee football coach came up with when he started playing football for the first time in his new city of Houston.
Lamb said his family moved from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Like so many families, they were looking for a better way of life but the move dramatically changed Lamb’s path because it was only after the move to Texas that did his love for football begin.
“I didn’t play football when I was in Louisiana, it was when I moved to Texas,” Lamb said. “My dad didn’t want me growing up in Louisiana so we moved to Texas. Texas is a football state. It worked out.”
It led to a standout high school career at Richmond Foster and scholarship to Oklahoma, which he now hails as the greatest move of his life because of the family atmosphere and expert coaching that allowed him to develop into one of the best receivers in school history and a highly-coveted NFL prospect.
He finished his three-year career at OU tops in school history in average yards per catch at 19.0 among players with at least 130 receptions. He’s also second all-time with 32 receiving touchdowns, and third in receiving yards with 3,292.
“OU was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Lamb said.
But now he can’t wait to take his talents, love and loyalty to the Cowboys.
Lamb’s move up I-45 has only delayed by the NFL shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As he waits, he works out daily with his trainer and does WebEx virtual meetings with his teammates from his Airbnb townhouse in downtown Houston.
“It’s surreal ... At times, it doesn’t feel real yet because of everything we are dealing with,” said Lamb during this interview, which occurred before the world learned of George Floyd’s name. “It hasn’t hit me yet. I am taking it one day at a time until the real thing comes. But I’m very excited. I can’t wait to get out there on the field.”
Bittersweet draft night with viral video and vandalized car
Family is important to Lamb. He says they are his drive and they are his why. He is the second-oldest of seven boys, four on his mother’s side and two on his father’s side. He wakes up every day going to battle for them, representing them and their name.
It all came to a curious and viral head on draft night in what went from ecstasy to a bittersweet moment in a matter of minutes.
A clip of him seemingly snatching his phone away from his girlfriend right before he was picked by the Cowboys became one of the most indelible scenes of the virtual 2020 NFL draft.
While he and his family went about the business of celebrating being picked by the Cowboys in the first round, social media went crazy with the video and his friends started blowing up his phone.
“I didn’t know what happened,” Lamb said. “I was confused. People started hitting my phone. It was a lot of stuff going on. It’s funny now. At the end of the day, it happened. It is what it is. We are good now.”
What the public doesn’t know is that Lamb’s SUV was broken into the same night outside of his Airbnb, all making for “a bittersweet” draft night.
It was also a quick lesson on the spotlight of the NFL and a glimpse of some of the things he will have to watch out for going forward.
“I got a taste of it, for sure,” Lamb said. “I am sure I am going to have a lot more problems going down the road. That is kind of how life goes. So just keep looking forward. I am prepared for what it is to come. I am good now. I am past that. I can’t wait to play.”
Family bonds and influences
Lamb is closest to his mother Leta Ramirez, who told The Oklahoma Daily that “He’s everything a mama could wish for.”
“I have a great relationship with my mom,” Lamb said. “She has my back. She will move to the world for me no matter what. She is a very strong individual.”
Ramirez has shown that by proved to be the mom any son could want first.
When his dad Cliff Lamb decided to move his family from Opelousas, La., to Houston, she moved here from New Orleans with her family as well.
“Everybody moved to Texas,” Lamb said. “They all came down. It’s a great place to raise kids. That is what they were thinking, trying to get away from the bad influences in Louisiana.”
Coming to Texas set Lamb on the path to a football destiny that was his original birth right.
His dad played football at MidAmerica Nazarene. His uncle Adam Lamb played at Texas Southern and his mom’s brother Chester Ramirez, Jr. played at the Air Force Academy.
Lamb said his uncle Chester was his biggest influence growing up as he was the centerpiece of the family and a great role model for everyone.
“He inspired me to be the best football player and the best man to a household that I could be,” Lamb said.
His uncle died when Lamb was a junior in high school, and that was just a couple of years after his stepdad Samuel Moreno Jr. was shot and killed just before Lamb’s freshman year in high school. He was 14. “It was a lot to take in, especially at a young age,” Lamb said. “It is never good taking death easy.”
Because of it, Lamb said he learned that the game and life can be taken away at any day.
“I approached it as my last practice. So how do I want to be remembered? Every game was my last game. Put my best foot forward. Put my life on the line. Play like my life depended on it.”
Embracing the legacy of the 88 club
As great as Lamb is on the field, you listen to the men who he says have had the biggest impact on his career -- Richmond Foster receivers coach Jason Idlebird and Oklahoma Dennis Simmons -- and they say the things that stand out most about him are passion, work ethic and football intelligence.
Idlebird said he has the correct blend of confidence and humbleness that you want in a No. 1 receiver. He can be coached hard.
“He was blessed with a talent,” Idlebird said. “He was also blessed with a hunger and drive that surpasses that talent. He is an artist with his gifts. He understands the responsibility given to him with his talent. He doesn’t take it lightly. That is why people respect him. He cherishes his gift.”
Simmons said the talent and work ethic were on full display when Lamb showed up Oklahoma as a true freshman and started from Day 1.
“He was always self motivated, dedicated to his craft,” Simmons said. “You saw the drive and determination and passion this kid has to be among the best. And it came to life. I am not surprised. I saw the work ethic he put in to get to this point. One thing the Cowboys will see is what you saw on game day is the same effort and energy that we saw every day in practice. If he carries the same traits to the NFL, the sky’s the limit for him.”
That the Cowboys believe the same thing is one reason they have bestowed the legacy No. 88 on Lamb to wear and carry on a tradition that started Drew Pearson in the ’70s, continued with Irvin in the ’90s and was maintained most recently by Dez Bryant, who is the team’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions.
Lamb initially wanted to wear No. 10 but acquiesced to 88 upon insistence from team owner Jerry Jones.
“That is a legendary number for the legendary America’s team,” Lamb said. “For me to go out there and represent the great legends that have worn that number is a huge presentable moment. I can’t wait to live it out for the first time. I want to continue the legacy of 88. The 88 club is something big in Dallas. I want to live up to it.”
Irvin is already a big fan of Lamb and the decision to give him 88.
“In order to get this number you must be what we call a ‘true bred,’” Irvin said shortly after the draft. “That means born, bleed and bred right here with the Dallas Cowboys. Drew Pearson was that. Michael Irvin was that. Dez Bryant was that and now CeeDee Lamb is that. And I love this kid.
”I ain’t talking about ‘I like this kid.’ I love this kid.”
Lamb put his humbleness on full display a day or two after the draft when he called Irvin to show reverence and pick his brain.
“I usually call all the young wide receivers, but before I could do that, CeeDee Lamb called me,” Irvin said. “We’ve had multiple conversations, and I love the kid.”
Asked why he initiated the call with Irvin, Lamb asked why not? He says he is a student of the game who is constantly seeking knowledge and it made sense to reach out to one Cowboys’ greats so he can know what he knows.
“I wanted to get on the phone with him,” Lamb said. “If a guy is legendary in your position and you have the accessibility of talking to him, I figured why not? He is a legend. I respect all legends and guys who have put in the hard work and the blood sweat and tears. Guys that are passionate about the game. I respect guys like that. Mike was definitely one of those guys.
“For me to talk to him and hear him out gave me an edge and to just go out and play aggressive and like I know how to play. I will be fine.”
Ready to join the Cowboys offense
The Cowboys are expected to be more than fine with Lamb added to the mix. They ranked No. 1 in the NFL yards last season, led by a 4,900-yard passer in quarterback Dak Prescott, nearly 1,400 yards on the ground by two-time rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott and two 1,000-yard receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
All have reached out to welcome the rookie who is expected to replace Randall Cobb as the slot receiver but with the flexibility to play all the positions and the game-breaking ability to make the offense even that much more explosive.
Simply put, Lamb can do it all. He is the complete package. He blocks with physicality. He has an unlimited catch radius. He is electric when he gets the ball in his hands because of his strength to break tackles, the elusiveness to make people miss and the speed to go the distance.
But if you are unsure about what impact he can make as a rookie, just ask him.
“Another playmaker, another dominant performer, another guy who loves to win,” he said. “That is what I feel I bring to the table. I can’t wait to get to Dallas to show everybody what the Cowboys are bringing to the table.”
Bye Houston.
This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
