Berkman: ‘I Knew It Was Time to Move On’

Earlier this week, Salisbury head coach Jim Berkman announced his retirement after 38 seasons and 13 national championships. It was a decision that was both easy and hard to make.

“It’s hard letting go of something you’ve created that’s so special,” said Berkman, the NCAA’s all-time leader in lacrosse coaching victories with 678.

A model of consistency, his Sea Gulls played in the NCAA tournament in each of his 38 seasons and advanced to the championship game 20 times.

The easy part for Berkman, 66, was the chance to become a more active grandfather to young ones that live in Georgia and Illinois. Being able to make longer visits to the grandkids alongside his wife, Jen, who is also retired, was a huge draw.

“I almost feel like I’ve been a delinquent grandfather in some ways,” he said.

Combine that with some health issues that he’s battled over the past 18 months, including a blood clot, and the timing just seemed right to turn the page.

“It wasn’t like the bell just went off, but there’s been all these signs,” Berkman said. “My medical team reminded me that I’m in a profession that’s pretty stressful, not just on game day but almost every day, and that surely doesn’t help. So, I knew that it was time to move on.”

Once his decision was made, he worked closely with Salisbury’s administration to coordinate the timing of the announcement. The hiring journey at a state university like Salisbury can be arduous, requiring more time than it might at a private school or in the business world. Good planning allowed Salisbury to expedite the process and post the job vacancy just minutes after Tuesday’s retirement announcement went public.

Berkman shared the news directly with his players as well as incoming freshmen and transfers Tuesday morning. He also answered over 300 texts during the day and about 100 more the following morning.

“It’s been important to me to do this the right way,” he said. “Tell people the right way and tell them at the right time. I made a lot of calls on Tuesday and had some really emotional calls. It was a long day.”

Some of those calls and conversations stirred wonderful memories for Berkman from his early coaching days. He enjoyed having a chance to share reflections with some of the same people that helped create them.

“I remember when I first arrived in 1989, I inherited a team with just 19 guys,” he said. “I had to convince some of them to stay here and assure them that it was going to be OK. And we end up going to the national championship game three years later.”

His Sea Gulls lost to perennial champion Hobart in the 1991 final, hosted in front of an overflow crowd in Salisbury, but Berkman proudly points to the fact that the Gulls capitalized on their second chance, defeating the Statesmen in the 1994 final to win their first title.

That was also Hobart’s last game as a Division III program.

“I’m really glad we beat them before they went Division I because they were the pinnacle,” Berkman said. “At that time, if you were going to win the Division III championship, you had to find a way to somehow beat Hobart. They were the mountain. For me, beating them in 1994 meant a lot.”

Berkman still has nearly perfect recall of games played over three decades ago. He can recount specific shots taken, goals scored and saves made. He can easily describe the razor-thin margin that defined the difference between victory and defeat in some contests.

Inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2013 and the IMLCA Hall of Fame in 2023, Berkman led his teams to the final four 28 times, won 28 conference championships and amassed a 105-game winning streak in conference games between 1995 and 2009.

“It’s really been a memorable journey,” he said.

Berkman takes pride in knowing that the program he’s built is in great shape for the future. His longtime assistant Justin Axel has been named Salisbury’s interim head coach and will be one of the candidates seriously considered to be Berkman’s permanent successor.

“Our facilities here are outstanding, including a lacrosse locker room that’s one of the best in the game,” he said. “We also have several endowments that support the program and we’ve been fortunate to raise enough dollars over the years so that there’s really nothing our program can’t do. We just want to see this great run keep going. I want nothing more than to see this thing that I’ve helped to create just get bigger and better.”

With a cupboard that is well stocked with talent, Berkman also leaves knowing that the Gulls are poised for another championship run in 2027.

“This was a fun season,” said Berkman, who guided the Gulls to a 17-4 campaign that ended with an overtime loss to RIT in the 2026 NCAA tournament. “The guys really worked hard and they were all accountable. It was just a great group, and I think it will be another great team next year.”

A four-time honoree as the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, Berkman is confident he will adjust quickly enough to not being on the sidelines for game days. The larger void might be the afternoons no longer spent on the practice field.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty good teacher and someone who could manipulate practice to accomplish the objectives that needed to be done,” he said. “I really enjoyed that part of the equation. I will probably miss practices more than anything.”

But rather than dwelling on what he will miss, Berkman is already looking ahead to the bucket list items that beckon. More golf (he was once a 5-handicap), more motorcycle rides on back roads and an extended vacation in Upstate New York to revisit the Adirondack Mountains that shaped much of his childhood while growing up in Watertown.

“I love the Adirondacks,” he said. “I grew up in all the parks with my mom and dad, going from place to place and enjoying that. I’ve never been able to do that since becoming a coach. I don't think there will be a shortage of things to do.”