EMORY, Va. --- The Emory & Henry
College Department of Athletics and Director of
AthleticsMyra Sims are pleased to announce
the hiring of Curt Newsome as Head
Football Coach. A 1982 graduate of E&H, Newsome returns to his
alma mater with 15 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience and
becomes the program's 20th head coach.
"I couldn't be more excited to be the next football coach at Emory
& Henry," Newsome said."I got my start in
coaching in Southwest Virginia and it feels great to be coming
home. Emory people know what Emory means, and I am excited about
getting the alumni involved in the program and to begin working
with the coaches on recruiting."
This past season, Newsome served as the Assistant Head Coach and
Offensive Line Coach at James Madison University. He held the same
title for the final three years of his first run with JMU
(1999-05). Before becoming Assistant Head Coach, Newsome was a
defensive line coach for three seasons and also worked with the
tackles and tight ends for a year. The Dukes reached the NCAA
Division I FCS Playoffs on two occasions, winning a National
Championship in 2004 and claiming a pair of Atlantic-10 Conference
titles (1999, 2004).
"We are so very fortunate to be able to bring back one of our own
to be the next Head Football Coach at Emory &
Henry," Director of Athletics Sims said. "I
began to hear about Curt Newsome as soon as I arrived at Emory
& Henry. I learned quickly that he is widely respected because
of all the success he's had in coaching, but that he is also
beloved by many because of his outstanding character. He will be a
strong leader for this football program and a great ambassador for
the Department of Athletics and for the institution. I am confident
that he is the right man to get this program to the level needed to
add many more ODAC titles to the E&H record book."
Between his stints in Harrisonburg, Newsome was the Offensive
Line Coach at Virginia Tech for seven years, helping to lead the
Hokies to a trio of Atlantic Coast Conference Championships (2007,
2008, 2010), seven bowl games and a victory in the 2009 Orange
Bowl. VT also won the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl and the 2009
Chick-fil-A Bowl with Newsome on Frank Beamer's staff.
Newsome's offensive line helped to produce four 1,000-yard rushers
and Blake DeChristopher was selected as the ACC's Jacobs Blocking
Trophy Winner in 2011, the award given annually to the best lineman
in the league.
"Southwest Virginia is critical to our success. We have to recruit
the talent that lies right outside our back
door," Newsome continued. "We have to be very
visible in a three-hour radius and then reach out to other parts of
the state and region. I look forward to continuing the
relationships that I have with the high school coaches in this area
of the state. Our current players will soon learn the expectations
and our plans for what we are going to do. We lost a good senior
class, so our success will begin with those players that are
already on campus."
Prior to joining the college ranks, Newsome was an accomplished
high school coach for 16 years. He collected five district
coach-of-the-year honors, was the Eastern Region Coach of the Year
on three occasions and was selected as the AP and VHSL Virginia
State Coach of the Year in 1998. Newsome coached for 11 years at
Kecoughtan High School in Hampton before concluding his time in the
prep ranks at Heritage High School in Newport News.
"Curt has spent his entire coaching career in Virginia and is known
by high school coaches across the Commonwealth as a tireless and
effective recruiter," added Sims. "He is a
proven winner who has had success at every place he's been
throughout his career. His experience in recruiting, his record of
success and his mature outlook will be a welcome addition to this
young athletics department staff. I am honored and excited to have
the opportunity to work with Curt and really look forward to having
him join us."
Newsome got his start in coaching the fall after graduating from
Emory & Henry at recently-closed Ervinton High School, where he
was the Lonesome Pine District Coach of the Year in 1984. A native
of Newport News, Va., Newsome holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Physical Education from E&H, which he earned in 1982.
Newsome will officially begin his duties on Thursday, January
2.
--- This release is
courtesy of the Emory & Henry College sports information
department. ---
www.gowasps.com