16Y/O Texas Girl Born With Rare Disorder Who Has Dreams of Coaching in the NFL Shines Bright in the Shrine Bowl

An NFL coach might not get injured like the players they lead, but it doesn’t take much for him to be ousted from the team. We have witnessed this season after season in an ever-changing landscape, and yet, it doesn’t seem to deter 16-year-old Libbie Lambert from pursuing her football aspirations.

Originally from Texas, Libbie has developed a love for football since her childhood and is currently a student at Pasadena’s First Baptist Christian Academy. Additionally, she manages the Warriors football team and assists with equipment and hydration. However, she confronted her share of challenges with a rare disease — arthrogryposis, a disorder that occurs in 1 out of 3000 live births.

This rare disorder affects Libbie’s joints, and she was initially told that she wouldn’t be able to perform basic day-to-day tasks, like feeding herself, according to ABC 13. Her journey to recovery started at Shriners Children’s Hospital, an institute she’s very thankful for that granted her independence. She said,

“I’m great,” Libbie said when asked about her condition. “Thanks to Shriners, I’m fully independent,” as per ABC 13.

Nine surgeries later, which took away three precious years of her life, Libbie is determined to become a coach in the NFL. Many have been inspired by her journey, and recently the 16-year-old future coach was given the chance to appear on the Shrine Bowl, the oldest college football all-star game.

Libbie Lambert Steals the Spotlight in the Shrine Bowl

The 99th annual East-West Shrine Bowl is being hosted in Frisco, Texas, at the Ford Center, where the Dallas Cowboys men sweat it out. All the proceeds from this event will go to Shriners Children’s Hospital, where Libbie has been receiving treatments. Players were even spotted running drills alongside patients from the hospital in wheelchair races and duck-duck goose.

In the midst of the camaraderie, Jane Slater from the NFL Network got to have a chat with Libbie Lambert. During their conversation, the 16-year-old drew up a trick play to showcase her coaching acumen.

She discussed a simple but intricate game plan with Jane, where the play revolved around the running back. The Quarterback initially hands the ball to the running back, creating a deceptive move to mislead the defense into thinking that it’s a run play. Simultaneously, the wide receivers and a tight end make their way into the end zone, while their quarterback takes a step back. The running back then throws a lateral pass to the QB, who finds one of his receivers, who’s already in the end zone. And more impressively, Libbie crafted this play with only 10 players, so imagine 11.

Young talents, such as Libbie, can very well become NFL coaches in the future. Like many aspiring athletes, she has triumphed over adversity, and her story even resonated with the NFL itself, leading them to share it on their social media. Surely, Libbie is destined to achieve her coaching dreams.