Emory & Henry Football Program Static Guts

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Coaching Staff

Curt Newsome Head Football Coach Emory & Henry, 1982 10th Year at E&H

Curt Newsome is entering his 10th year as the Head Football Coach at Emory & Henry College. A 1982 graduate of E&H, Newsome returned to his alma mater in January of 2014 with 15 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience to become the program’s 20th head coach.

Last fall, E&H got its first taste of competition as a member of the South Atlantic Conference. The Wasps went 5-6 on the year and finished tied for eighth at 4-5 after being picked 11th. The team turned heads in their first year in the league, winning an overtime thriller at Wingate and taking two-time reigning SAC Champion Newberry to double overtime. Emory & Henry established itself as the top small college program in Southwest Virginia, defeating both Bluefield and UVA Wise. Eight players were named to the All-SAC Mountain Division Team with five first-team selections in Grayson Overstreet, Tmahdae Penn, Ricky Dodson, Donovan Pinnix and Ivan Phillips. In 2021, E&H played its final games in a scheduling alliance with former Old Dominion Athletic Conference rivals, going 6-4 overall. Devontae Jordan became the second player in program history to win the Lanier Award as top small college football player in Virginia. In the spring of 2021, Wasps posted a 3-1 overall record and a spot in the first-ever ODAC Championship Game. E&H came up just short by a 13-10 overtime margin to Randolph-Macon. Eight players were selected to the all-league teams with Jay Swegheimer leading the way as the Lou Wacker ODAC Defensive Player of the Year and a D3football.com Second-Team All-American. Additionally, Jaylyn Kreimes was picked as the small college state defensive back of the year by the Touchdown Club of Richmond. Four years ago, Emory & Henry went 7-3 with a 6-2 mark in ODAC games to finish third in the league. A total of 14 players were named to the all-conference teams while Da’von Keith, Derrick Yates and Josh Fleenor received D3football.com All-South Region accolades. In 2018, E&H went 4-5 overall with a 3-4 record against ODAC opponents. The Wasps saw nine players named to the all-league teams led by offensive lineman Tyler Weterrings, who was also honored with all-state and all-region laurels. The 2017 season saw the Wasps post a 3-7 record but saw an even dozen players named to the All-ODAC Team. Josh Fleenor was tabbed as an all-league first-teamer, adding all-state and All-South Region accolades to his resume. Emory & Henry went 6-4 in 2016 with a 5-2 record against ODAC teams. The Wasps reeled off five straight wins to finish the year tied for second place in the league. Nine different players were named to the all-league teams including McFarland Murph, Tre’von Lightfoot and Da’von Keith, who added All-South Region accolades. In 2015, Emory & Henry posted a 6-4 record with a 4-3 mark against ODAC foes. The Wasps picked up a signature non-conference win against NCAA Division I FCS East Tennessee State, 27-24, in September. For a second season, a dozen Wasps were tabbed as all-league with Tre’von Lightfoot and Skyler Simcox earning All-South Region honors. In his first season at E&H, Newsome led the Wasps to an 8-2 record and a four-way tie for first place in the ODAC at 5-2. For his efforts, Newsome was selected as ODAC Coach of the Year and saw 12 of his players named to the All-ODAC Teams. Leading the way was freshman quarterback Kevin Saxton, who earned ODAC Rookie of the Year laurels. Prior to taking the helm at Emory & Henry, Newsome served as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach at James Madison University for the 2013 season. 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). 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. 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. Newsome got his start in coaching the fall after graduating from Emory & Henry at the former Ervinton High School in Dickenson County, where he was the Lonesome Pine District Coach of the Year in 1984. A native of Hampton, Virginia, Newsome holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from E&H, which he earned in 1982. Newsome and his wife, Melinda, have two grown children, a son, Curtis III, and a daughter, Elizabeth. The couple resides in Abingdon.