For nearly four decades, one constant defined mens DeeThreeLax. If you wanted to win a national championship, sooner or later you were probably going to have to go through Salisbury and Jim Berkman. On Tuesday, the all-time winningest coach in college lacrosse history officially announced his retirement after an incredible 38 seasons leading the Sea Gulls, bringing one of the sport’s most legendary coaching careers to a close.

The numbers alone almost don’t seem real.

• 678 career victories
• 13 NCAA National Championships
• 28 Final Four appearances
• 28 conference championships
• A staggering .902 career winning percentage
• 174-8 conference record
• 105 consecutive conference victories from 1995-2009

Whether measured by wins, championships, consistency, or longevity, Berkman’s resume has few equals in any division of college lacrosse.

But as news of his retirement spread throughout the lacrosse community, the reactions centered on something much bigger than trophies. Former Salisbury defenseman Knute Kraus admitted the announcement caught him completely off guard. “It’s hard to even think about lacrosse at Salisbury without Coach Berkman.” Kraus, now entering his fourth season as head coach at Mater Dei High School in California, joked that he’s tried to copy “everything” Berkman did as a coach.One lesson has stayed with him more than any other. “Effort equals outcome.” That simple phrase became one of Berkman’s trademarks, and according to many former players, perfectly summed up the culture he built over nearly four decades. “He showed everyone that when you put the effort in and you put the work in, the outcome was going to be what you wanted,” Kraus said.

Few rivalries defined the 2000s like Salisbury and Stevenson. Between 2007 and 2012, Jim Berkman and Paul Cantabene battled in one of the fiercest conference rivalries DeeThreeLax has ever seen. Salisbury won 10 of the 14 meetings during that stretch, but Stevenson famously snapped the Sea Gulls’ 105-game conference winning streak in 2009 and later eliminated Salisbury from NCAA Tournament contention. The two coaches weren’t afraid to exchange words on the sidelines, but the respect never disappeared. “When we built Stevenson, our goal was to be like Salisbury and climb that mountain,” Cantabene said. “I think that rivalry between us and Salisbury for that five or six years was as good as any rivalry in the game.” Current Tufts head coach Casey D’Annolfo echoed those sentiments on social media. “Jim Berkman set the standard for program excellence in college lacrosse, not just Division III, but in all of college lacrosse. Congrats on an amazing career, Coach. We will miss the battles with you.”

Former Salisbury goalkeeper Johnny Rodriguez believes Berkman’s greatest legacy won’t be found in record books. “Everybody on the outside will talk about the championships and wins,” Rodriguez said. “But what made Coach have the greatest impact wasn’t on us as lacrosse players, but on the future husbands, fathers, business owners, coaches, leaders.” That impact is reflected throughout the sport. More than 200 former Salisbury players and assistant coaches are now coaching at the youth, high school, collegiate and professional levels, continuing to grow the game with lessons learned under Berkman. “I tried to put the players in the best position to succeed,” Berkman said. “So many times our players delivered. I’m proud of what they accomplished both while wearing the maroon and gold and what they’ve done as men after leaving the university.” Berkman’s influence reached virtually every corner of DeeThreeLax.

During his tenure he coached:

• 310 All-Americans
• 13 National Players of the Year
• 59 National Positional Players of the Year
• 15 professional draft picks the most by any DeeThreeLax program

Among those stars was his son, Kylor Berkman, who became the first player in NCAA DeeThreeLax  history to earn National Midfielder of the Year honors three consecutive seasons from 2007-09. Berkman himself earned four National Coach of the Year awards while being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2013 and the IMLCA Hall of Fame in 2023.

Berkman’s path to Salisbury began as an All-American midfielder at St. Lawrence University before earning his master’s degree at Salisbury while serving as an assistant coach. After a successful stint as head coach at SUNY Potsdam and coaching basketball at St. Lawrence, he returned to Salisbury in 1989. The rest became history. His influence extended beyond men’s lacrosse as he also coached Salisbury’s women’s soccer team to a 102-28-5 record and two conference championships, while spending one season leading the women’s basketball program.

With Berkman’s retirement, longtime assistant and recruiting coordinator Justin Axel has been named interim head coach. Axel is no stranger to Salisbury’s championship culture. After serving as an assistant from 2002-07, he became head coach at Eastern Connecticut State, compiling an 81-42 record and winning four conference championships before returning to Salisbury in 2014. Since then, he has helped guide the Sea Gulls to seven national championships while earning IMLCA DeeThreeLax Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2023. Replacing a coach with 678 wins and 13 national championships may be the most difficult job in all of college athletics.

But Berkman’s greatest accomplishment may be ensuring the program he built is prepared for whatever comes next. The championships, the winning streaks and the records will forever define Jim Berkman’s career. The hundreds of players, coaches and leaders he helped shape may ultimately define his legacy.