Hall of Fame
Touris is the fourth alumnus to earn the title of Silver Saxon. Standing 6’5” and with a nickname of “Big Bud”, Touris was big, strong, and agile as noted by his teammates. He used his physical attributes to take command in the trenches of the line of scrimmage. A defensive standout, Touris was instrumental in the Saxons becoming the 1966 Conference and Upstate Small College Champions as they outscored opponents, 175-55, finishing the season with a record of 6-1-1. The Saxon defense, spearheaded by Touris totaled 24 shutout quarters against opposing offenses, including a shutout of Brockport. On the season, he totaled 48 tackles, one pass deflected and one fumble recovered.
Teammate Phil ‘Abdul’ Nassar commented that, “Lambros didn’t only tackle people, but bulldozed them.” With such a physical presence on the field, Touris was also noted for taking care of his teammates around him, often helping newer players learn their positions and earning the respect of his fellow teammates.
Since starting on the varsity team in his sophomore season (freshmen did not play on varsity in those days), “Big Bud” was a standout who led the Saxons to a Top-10 ranking nationally in defensive statistics and helped to make a name for Alfred University football with the infamous “Miracle at Merrill” 1965 win over Susquehanna.
Touris remained invested in Alfred University, jumping on the broadcasts of the Saxons’ home football games. He even brought national notoriety to Alfred University, becoming a champion of the popular trivia television show, Jeopardy.
Touris graduated with his degree in Political Science in 1970.
The Silver Saxon Award, created in 2018, honors student-athletes from early eras (40 years prior to the current Hall of Fame class year) at Alfred University for outstanding athletic achievement, but may lack statistical information that puts nominees at a significant disadvantage when assessing them against contemporary student-athletes.
