J.E. Bert Severns was tabbed on May 2, 2016 to be the second head men’s coach at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA. Coach Bert is now starting his seventh season with the Lions. He has enjoyed every minute of his time coaching the lions in a very competitive Conference Carolina. One of the goals that we have every season is to make the conference tournament, we have done that in three of the last four years!
Severns joins the Emmanuel staff after a brief stop at Davis & Elkins College and spending four seasons at Division III Centre College, where he built the program from the ground up.
Severns guided the Colonels to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014.
In 2012, Severns was named SCAC Coach of the Year, while attacker Zack Connors earned SCAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. In Centre's second year of play, Severns led the program to a 12-4 overall record, a 7-2 mark, a second place finish in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and an 8-0 home record.
In 2013, Severns led the Colonels to their first NCAA Tournament in just their third year as a program. Centre finished the year with an 11-4 overall record and tied for the Southern Athletic Association regular season championship. Along with the return trip to the NCAA’s in the 2014 season, the Colonels also won the SAA Tournament. Along the way, Centre set a new school record for wins in a season with 13 and established a school record winning streak with 11 straight victories.
Severns has also had the honor to be named to the Board of Directors of the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association and is currently the Treasurer for the governing body for the college coaches of men's lacrosse in the U.S.
He is currently a member of the USILA Division II Coaches Poll Committee which ranks the top 20 Division II teams in the nation on a weekly basis.
Severns was an assistant coach for both soccer and lacrosse teams at the United States Naval Academy from 1976 to 1980, helping the Midshipmen to a national semifinal appearance in lacrosse and an ECAC championship in soccer. While at Annapolis, he was responsible for recruiting for both sports and helped coach 15 lacrosse All-Americans. From 1980 to 1984 he was the head coach of soccer and lacrosse at Alfred University. He directed the Saxon soccer team to an ECAC title while coaching two more All-Americans. In 1984 he left Alfred for West Point, becoming the assistant athletic director for facilities and the assistant lacrosse coach. During his time at the United States Military Academy, he helped the lacrosse team to a national semifinal appearance.
In 1990 he left coaching to pursue a career in the sporting goods industry, working his way up to become the national sales manager for Diadora America and Director of Sales and Marketing for Game Sportswear.
Severns was an All-American as a player at Cortland State, where he did his undergraduate studies.
Coach Severns is married to Beverly Harper Severns and they reside in Hartwell, GA on a hobby farm that keeps them grounded.
“I am very excited and feel blessed to be given this opportunity to become the Director of Lacrosse Operations and Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at Emmanuel College. I would like to thank Nate Moorman, Athletic Director and the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to establishing a top flight Division II program on and off of the field. I have a passion for coaching, mentoring, and supporting young men in the environment of a lacrosse culture. I want to build on the culture that has been started here at Emmanuel College. I feel that with my past history, we can continue to build and develop a positive lacrosse culture that will make us all very proud to be part of the EC legacy we are creating, on and off the field.”
God Bless and Go Lions!”
