Men's Lacrosse

Coach Jim Berkman is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA men's lacrosse history as he begins his 21st season at the helm for top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Salisbury University. Berkman has compiled a 321-30 record at SU through 20 seasons and has won eight national championships. He broke the NCAA mark for all-time coaching victories in the 2008 NCAA tournament with a win against Ohio Wesleyan University to surpass the former mark of 326 wins held by Army coach Jack Emmer. Berkman's total career record entering the '09 season is 330-35 (90 percent winning percentage) as he spent one successful season at Potsdam State.

In 2008, the Sea Gulls successfully defended their national championship when they defeated SUNY Cortland 19-13 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., before a crowd of 24,317. Salisbury went a perfect 22-0 last season and will enter the '09 season with a 45-game winning streak.

Recognized and respected throughout the lacrosse community as one of the top coaches in the nation, Berkman guided the Sea Gulls to the most successful men's lacrosse season in NCAA history in 2007. Salisbury went undefeated for the fifth time in Berkman's career en route to the program's seventh national championship. The Sea Gulls set a new NCAA record with 23 wins and broke the national marks for goals (417), assists (271) and points (688). The old goals, assists and points records were held by the 1995 Salisbury team that played six less games.

Under Coach Berkman, the Sea Gulls have never lost a Capital Athletic Conference game since it joined the league in 1995. Salisbury has won 14 consecutive CAC championships and totes a 100-0 conference record (including CAC tournament games).

Salisbury enters the '09 campaign with several national winning streaks intact. SU has not lost a regular-season game in five years (77 straight games) and are 74-0 at home since April 10, 2003. During Salisbury's three consecutive national championships, the Sea Gulls piled up a NCAA lacrosse record 69-game win streak (2003-06).

SU has won five of the last six USILA National Division III Player of the Year awards. Last season, Berkman's son Kylor was named the National Player and Midfielder of the Year. In Berkman's reign he has coached eight national players of the year and 32 national position players of the year. In Berkman's tenure he has coached 138 All-Americans in 20 seasons. Twice SU had 11 players named All-American in one season (1995, 2007).

The maroon and gold has been in 20 consecutive NCAA tournaments since Berkman's arrival and won national championships in 1994, '95, '99, 2003, '04, '05, '07 and ‘08. Salisbury has made 11 national championship game appearances under Berkman and advanced to the national semifinals 14 times. Berkman's undefeated seasons at SU were 1994, '95, '04, '05, '07, and '08.

Berkman won his first national championship in 1994 with a win over Hobart College in College Park, MD. Salisbury went 16-0 that season as the Sea Gulls became the first undefeated national champion in the history of the NCAA Division III championships. The following year, Berkman and the Gulls repeated as national champions as they finished the '95 season 17-0.

In recognition of his outstanding resume, Berkman has been recognized as the CAC Coach of the Year seven times ('96, '02, '03, '05, '06, '07, '08) and was the recipient of the Francis "Babe" Kraus award in '91 and 2008 as the Division III National Coach of the Year.

An All-American midfielder at St. Lawrence (NY) University in '82, Berkman came to Salisbury after serving as the assistant lacrosse coach and head basketball and junior varsity soccer coach for three seasons at his alma mater. The Watertown, NY, native, starred on the basketball team as well as the lacrosse squad at St. Lawrence, earning MVP honors in basketball as both a junior and senior. He also was selected to play in the prestigious North-South All-Star lacrosse game in 1982. Berkman was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

After graduating from St. Lawrence in 1982, Berkman spent two years at Salisbury University while he earned his master's degree. He served as the Gulls' assistant lacrosse coach during those two seasons as SU compiled a 23-7 record. Following one season at Potsdam State (1985), where Berkman coached the lacrosse squad to a school-record nine wins, he returned to St. Lawrence from 1985-88. As head basketball coach, Berkman directed his '87-88 St. Lawrence team to the ICAC league championship. Berkman also guided the SU women's soccer program for seven seasons (1994-2000) and posted an overall 102-28-5 (.774) record and two CAC championships.

Berkman currently resides in Salisbury, MD, with his wife Jennifer, who is the director of SU Student Health Services. Their son Kylor is a junior on the men's lacrosse team and daughter Keli will play women's lacrosse at Mount St. Mary's next year.

Coach Berkman News
07/01/08  Coach Berkman named USILA Division III Coach of the Year
05/10/08  327! Coach Berkman takes his place in history
04/25/08  Berkmans become first father-son combo to be named CAC Coach and Player of the Year, 7 Gulls honored
02/16/08  Coach Berkman gets his 300th career win at SU in season opener
12/15/07  Berkman repeats as FieldTurf Tarkett Coach of the Year
07/26/07  Coach Berkman featured in SI's Faces in the Crowd
05/04/07  A record nine Sea Gulls named All-CAC first team, Caruso and Berkman honored again
03/07/07  Berkman named FieldTurf Tarkett Coach of the Year

Coach Berkman's Record at SU