Curt Newsome

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.

Emory & Henry went 6-4 last year 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 honors.

Newsome most recently 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 recently-closed Ervinton High School, where he was the Lonesome Pine District Coach of the Year in 1984. A native of Hampton, Va., 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, and a daughter, Elizabeth. The couple now resides in Abingdon.