Continuity was a key word for Davidson principal Jason Richardson in his search for a new head football coach.

“After a playoff appearance last season, it was important for me to hire within to keep continuity with the staff and build on the momentum from last season,” he said.

Mission accomplished.

Richardson told AL.com on Friday that he was promoting interim coach John Lambert to the school’s full-time head football coach. He replaces Rick Cauley, who announced his retirement from the public school system earlier this spring.

“Coach Lambert brings with him years of high school coaching experience, and I am confident he will continue to move the program in the right direction,” Richardson said.

Lambert has spent the last 25 years coaching in Mobile County. He spent 19 years at Murphy and has been at Davidson six years under Cauley. He started with the Warriors as special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach. He’s also been defensive coordinator and co-offensive coordinator.

“I’ve kind of been everywhere around the ball you could possibly think of,” Lambert said. “Some of the older guys are like that. It helps make it new every year. If you do the same thing over and over again it can become monotonous and you can lose your edge. You have to continually do things to challenge yourself. I hope it’s helped me be a more well-rounded coach.”

Lambert worked briefly under the AHSAA’s all-time winningest coach Terry Curtis during Curtis’ final year at Murphy. He’s also spent time under former Murphy and St. Luke’s coach Ronn Lee as well as Cauley. He graduated from Murphy in 1995.

“I’ve known coach Cauley since we were 13 or 14,” Lambert said. “I remember playing in the park with him and playing against each other in high school. We’ve been around each other half of our lives. It’s going to be a little different without him.

“He’s such a good person and tries to do everything the right way regardless of the outcome. When you are around people like that, it makes you want to be better and want to be a good person. It’s a good thing to be around people like that for so long. Coach Lee was almost the exact same person.”

Lambert said he’s been working toward the goal of becoming a head coach for the past two decades.

“It’s great,” he said. “I wake up every morning ready to go to work. I’ve been working in the fieldhouse, cleaning up offices, doing laundry. The kids show up on Tuesday. Change is invigorating. I have some great people I can lean on when I need to. I’ve already talked to coach Cauley this morning. I feel extremely blessed.”

Lambert coached the team through its spring game, a loss to Williamson. He said, though he’s a defensive coach by nature, he will work on both sides of the ball.

“We have two really good coordinators and it is up to us to figure out what we can and can’t do,” he said. “We had eight practices in spring to try to install a new offense and new defense. We will be able to hammer that out in June and July. A lot of things will stay the same. The way coach Cauley does everything is spot on. I think this change will be comfortable with the kids. They can walk in the door and know who I am since I’ve been here. If they have a problem, they know they can come and talk to me.”

Davidson will open the 2024 season against Lambert’s alma mater, Murphy, on Aug. 23 at home. Richardson also complimented Cauley’s tenure at Davidson.

“Coach Cauley has had a great career coaching football and has left his mark on multiple programs,” he said. “He is going to be missed at Davidson and in Mobile County.”