University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Football Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 970.351.3046
updated December 2025
Ed Lamb was introduced as the head coach at Northern Colorado on Dec. 7, 2022, following seven seasons at BYU where he served as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.
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In his third season at the helm, Lamb guided Northern Colorado through a landmark year marked by individual achievement and notable program milestones. The Bears placed five players on the All-Big Sky teams, tying the program’s second-most selections in a single season and its highest total since 2014. Northern Colorado also earned two First Team All-Big Sky honors, matching the second-most in program history. The Bears finished the season 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Big Sky play, recording the program’s most conference wins since 2022 and the most overall wins since 2016.
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Offensively, the Bears were led by junior wide receiver Carver Cheeks, who produced one of the most prolific seasons in UNC history. Cheeks finished with 71 receptions, the third-most in a single season in program history, while his 929 receiving yards ranked 10th all-time. His six receiving touchdowns tied for 15th-most in a season, and his three 100-yard receiving games tied for 10th. Cheeks also continued to climb the career charts, ranking 14th in career receptions (93) and 16th in career receiving yards (1,274), earning First Team All-Big Sky honors.
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Defensively, Cam Chapa anchored the Bears’ secondary and delivered a historic season. Chapa led the Big Sky in solo tackles (63) and totaled 88 tackles, four interceptions, eight passes defended, and two forced fumbles. He became just the second Bear in program history to record back-to-back four-interception seasons, finishing tied for sixth all-time in career interceptions (6). Chapa earned First Team All-Big Sky honors after previously being named a Freshman All-American and Honorable Mention All-Big Sky, solidifying his place among the top defenders in the FCS.
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Northern Colorado also placed Jack Ziebell (OL), Hudson Voggesser (LB), and Maddox Broughton (LS) on the Honorable Mention All-Big Sky team, reflecting balanced development across all three phases.
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The 2025 season featured one of the most significant wins in program history, as the Bears secured a 49–33 road victory at No. 13/11 Idaho, the highest-ranked Division I win in program history. Quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. led the effort with 397 passing yards, the ninth-most in a single game in UNC history.
Lamb signed a two-year contract extension in December 2024, securing his leadership of the Bears through the 2026 season. In his second year at UNC, he developed one of the top young defenders in the FCS in Cam Chapa, who was named to the FCS Football Central Freshman All-American Team and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors after leading the Bears with 83 tackles, four interceptions and four pass breakups. Chapa was also named to the 2025 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team.
Lamb’s program also produced first-team All-Big Sky punter Hunter Green in 2024.
No stranger to the Big Sky Conference, Lamb led Southern Utah University for eight seasons where he guided the Thunderbirds to a pair of conference championships.
Inheriting a team that had suffered 18 straight losses, Lamb's debut campaign saw the Thunderbirds go from 0-11 the previous season to a 4-7 record in 2008. By his third season at the helm, Lamb guided SUU to a winning record at 6-5 and a perfect 4-0 mark in Great West Conference play for the league championship.
"I am incredibly excited to welcome Coach Lamb, his wife Sarah and their family to UNC," Dunn said. "It was evident through our process Coach Lamb was the man to lead UNC football," said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. "He is a man of high character who is a proven winner, tireless recruiter, and developer of young men. He's won championships as a head coach at the FCS level and has worked alongside and learned from some of the best coaches in football."
SUU joined the Big Sky Conference in 2012 and earned an invite to the FCS Championships one year later as Lamb's 2013 team compiled an 8-5 overall record.
In just the fourth year in the Big Sky, Lamb's 2015 squad posted an 8-4 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference games to capture the BSC crown.
A two-time Eddie Robinson Award finalist recognizing the top coaches in the FCS, Lamb's SUU teams earned wins over FBS teams in 2011 (UNLV) and 2013 (South Alabama). In four years as a Big Sky program, Lamb's teams went 19-13 against conference foes.
Prior to his head coach role at Southern Utah, Lamb was an assistant coach on Jim Harbaugh's staff at the University of San Diego for three seasons where the Toreros seized three Pioneer League championships.
After beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at BYU, Lamb was the defensive coordinator at the University of Idaho from 2002-03 under the direction of head coach Tom Cable.
A native of Pleasanton, California, Lamb played for Lavell Edwards at BYU from 1994-96. Lamb was a member of the 1996 team that went 15-1, won the Cotton Bowl, and closed out the year ranked No. 5 in the country.
"I'm confident Coach Lamb will provide exceptional opportunities for young men to develop and earn their degrees at UNC and restore a tradition of greatness to UNC football," Dunn said.
Ed Lamb
Education: M.A. Education Counseling (University of Redlands, '98); B.A., English (BYU, '96); Ricks College ('94)
Hometown: Pleasanton, Calif.
Wife: Sarah
Children: One son, Edward, and three daughters, Anna, Amelia, and Summer
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| Year | School | Position | |
| 2001 | BYU | Graduate Assistant | |
| 2002 | Univ. of Idaho | Defensive Coordinator | |
| 2003 | Univ. of Idaho | Defensive Coordinator | |
| 2005 | Univ. of San Diego | Defensive Backs/Special Teams | 11-1 |
| 2006 | Univ. of San Diego | Defensive Backs/Special Teams | 11-1 |
| 2007 | Univ. of San Diego | Defensive Backs/Special Teams | 9-2 |
| 2008 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (4-7, 1-3 Great West, 5th) | |
| 2009 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (5-6, 2-2 Great West, T-2nd) | |
| 2010 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (6-5, 4-0 Great West, 1st) | Great West Champions |
| 2011 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (6-5, 1-3 Great West, T-4th) | Win over FBS UNLV (41-16) |
| 2012 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (5-6, 4-4 Big Sky, T-5th) | Win over FCS No. 1 and No. 11 |
| 2013 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (8-5, 5-3 Big Sky, T-4th) | FCS Playoffs; Win over FBS South Alabama (22-21) |
| 2014 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (3-9, 3-5 Big Sky, T-8th) | |
| 2015 | Southern Utah | Head Coach (8-4, 7-1 Big Sky, 1st) | Big Sky Champions; FCS Playoffs |
| 2016 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 9-4, Poinsettia Bowl win over Wyoming |
| 2017 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 4-9 |
| 2018 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 7-6, Idaho Potato Bowl win over Western Michigan |
| 2019 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 7-6, Hawai'i Bowl versus Hawaii |
| 2020 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 11-1, Boca Raton Bowl win over UCF |
| 2021 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 10-3, Independence Bowl versus UAB |
| 2022 | BYU | Assistant Head Coach | 7-5, New Mexico Bowl |
| 2023        | Northern Colorado    | Head Coach | 0-11 (0-8) |
| 2024 | Northern Colorado | Head Coach | 1-11 (1-7) |
| 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | Northern Colorado | Head Coach | 4-8 (2-6) |
Kalani Sitake, BYU Head Coach
"First and foremost, Ed is a tremendous person, a great husband, and father with an incredible family. He is a successful and experienced head coach who knows how to establish a culture and lead a football program. Ed has played a significant role in developing our program and the operating systems we use to run our program. As a coach, he has expertise coaching all three phases of the game, offense, defense, and special teams, so he is uniquely prepared to mentor his coaching staff and players to be successful."
Tom Holmoe, BYU Director of Athletics
"Kudos to Northern Colorado for hiring Ed Lamb as their Head Football Coach. He's a leader on the field and a great developer of young men off the field. His personal character is a strength that will build this team into a highly competitive unit and grow boys into men."
Ken Beazer, Utah Tech Athletics Director
"Ed Lamb's ability to develop successful football programs is well documented. He is a high-character coach who knows how to effectively mold and develop young men. I am thrilled for Ed, Sarah, and their family. Northern Colorado is getting a great coach, who will have an immediate impact upon its football program and community."
