Mike Kavanagh fell in love with the sport of gymnastics in middle school and did everything he could to succeed and become one of the finest gymnasts in UW-Oshkosh history.
Kavanagh was considered a late bloomer and was not heavily recruited by college coaches during his senior season at Waukesha High School. UW-Oshkosh head coach
Ken Allen saw something in Kavanagh, however, and convinced him to become a member of the Titans. Allen later built on the fundamentals that Kavanagh learned from his high school coach Dave Wentworth and developed him into a quality performer on the parallel bars.
“Coach Allen was interested in me when most people weren’t,” said Kavanagh. “Coach Allen took what I learned from Coach Wentworth and showed me what it took to become a national caliber gymnast and take it to a new level”.
Kavanagh used his natural ability to swing in rhythm that was matched by few on the parallel bars. After failing to win a gymnastics event in high school, Kavanagh immediately tasted the thrill of victory as a college freshman, winning the parallel bars with a score of 8.30 at the 1973 UW-Oshkosh Invitational.
“Once I got my first victory, I liked the feeling and worked hard to feel it again,” said Kavanagh. “I wasn’t blessed with outstanding talent so I had to work hard to achieve success”.
Kavanagh received four varsity letters in gymnastics at UW-Oshkosh and enjoyed a very successful college career. In 1973, he was an intricate part of UW-Oshkosh’s WSUC and NAIA championship teams. The following year, Kavanagh helped the Titans repeat as WSUC and NAIA champions.
Individually, Kavanagh dominated the parallel bars event, not only at UW-Oshkosh, but at the conference and national levels as well. Kavanagh learned how to win during his career at UW-Oshkosh and had very few instances in which he failed to come out on top. From 1974 to 1976, Kavanagh was the NAIA parallel bars champion three times and the NCAA Division II and WSUC parallel bars champion two times each. In 1976, his senior season, Kavanagh was named NAIA Gymnast of the Year and was one of seven finalists for the Nissen Award. His senior campaign included a fourth-place finish on the parallel bars at the NCAA Division I Championship in Philadelphia, Pa. he was the first UW-Oshkosh athlete to ever receive NCAA Division I All-America recognition.
“Being nominated for the Nissen Award and receiving NAIA Gymnast of the Year honors were the high points of my individual career,” said Kavanagh. “The team aspect was also important and that was reflected in our two national championships”.
Kavanagh graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Following graduation, Kavanagh moved to St. Louis, Mo., to establish the St. Louis Academy of Gymnastics and later the All-American Gymnastics Club.
Kavanagh, who resides in Oshkosh with his wife, Anne, and children Kyle and Krista, is presently employed as a district representative with Aid Association for Lutherans.
