Alexander Severance
Alexander G. Severance Sr. (June 3, 1905 – April 1, 1985) was an American basketball and baseball coach. Born in New York City, Severance graduated from Villanova University in 1929 and received his J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1932. In addition to coaching basketball for Villanova, Severance was a professor of business law at the university.
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | June 3, 1905
Died | April 1, 1985 79) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | (aged
Playing career | |
Basketball | |
1926–1929 | Villanova |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Basketball | |
1936–1961 | Villanova |
Baseball | |
1944 | Villanova |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 413–201 (basketball) 4–1 (baseball) |
Tournaments | Basketball 4–4 (NCAA) 1–2 (NIT) |
Severance coached the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team for 25 seasons (1936–1961), compiling a 413–201 (.673) record. Among his former players is Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Paul Arizin.[1] Severance coached his team to the first Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 1939. His teams also played in the NCAA Tournament in 1949 and 1955. Under his leadership, Villanova was selected for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1959 and 1960.
Severance died on the morning of April 1, 1985, in Lexington, Kentucky, on the day Villanova won the 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[2] The championship game was played at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Head coaching record
Basketball
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Villanova Wildcats (Independent) (1936–1961) | |||||||||
1936–37 | Villanova | 15–8 | |||||||
1937–38 | Villanova | 25–5 | |||||||
1938–39 | Villanova | 20–5 | NCAA Final Four | ||||||
1939–40 | Villanova | 17–2 | |||||||
1940–41 | Villanova | 13–3 | |||||||
1941–42 | Villanova | 13–9 | |||||||
1942–43 | Villanova | 19–2 | |||||||
1943–44 | Villanova | 9–11 | |||||||
1944–45 | Villanova | 6–11 | |||||||
1945–46 | Villanova | 10–13 | |||||||
1946–47 | Villanova | 17–7 | |||||||
1947–48 | Villanova | 15–9 | |||||||
1948–49 | Villanova | 23–4 | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||||
1949–50 | Villanova | 25–4 | |||||||
1950–51 | Villanova | 25–7 | NCAA first round | ||||||
1951–52 | Villanova | 19–8 | |||||||
1952–53 | Villanova | 19–8 | |||||||
1953–54 | Villanova | 20–11 | |||||||
1954–55 | Villanova | 18–10 | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||||
1955–56 | Villanova | 14–12 | |||||||
1956–57 | Villanova | 10–15 | |||||||
1957–58 | Villanova | 12–11 | |||||||
1958–59 | Villanova | 18–7 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1959–60 | Villanova | 20–6 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
1960–61 | Villanova | 11–13 | |||||||
Villanova: | 413–201 (.673) | ||||||||
Total: | 413–201 (.673) |
References
- Westcott, Rich (2001). A Century of Philadelphia Sports. Temple University Press p. 159. ISBN 978-1-5663-9861-9.
- Nathan, David E. (April 1, 1985). "Alexander G. Severance, Villanova head basketball coach". United Press International. Retrieved November 15, 2019.