 Severeid was born in Story City, Iowa to Norwegian immigrants Lars Severeid and Maria (Naess) Severeid.Three of his brothers, Oscar, Charles, and Elmer, played minor league ball.Severeid finished 6th in voting for the 1924 American League MVP for playing in 137 Games and having 432 At Bats, 37 Runs, 133 Hits, 23 Doubles, 2 Triples, 4 Home Runs, 48 RBI, 1 Stolen Base, 36 Walks, .308 Batting Average, .362 On-base percentage, .398 Slugging Percentage, 172 Total Bases and 31 Sacrifice Hits.