Mike Cavanaugh - Oregon State University Athletics

Updated Jan. 25, 2008

Mike Cavanaugh is in his fourth season as Oregon State’s offensive line coach. His coaching has enabled the Beaver offense to post gaudy numbers during his tenure.

In his last three seasons he has coached two current NFL prospects and his players have earned 11 Pac-10 Conference postseason honors, headed by first teamers Roy Schuening in 2007 and Jeremy Perry in 2006.

His 2007 line helped Beaver running back Yvenson Bernard finish his career sixth in the Pac-10 Conference for career yards with 3,862, second all-time at OSU. In addition to Schuening, tackle Andy Levitre earned second team and center Kyle DeVan honorable mention.

The 2006 team featured sophomore guard Jeremy Perry earning Pac-10 First Team honors, tackle Adam Koets and DeVan garnered second team acclaim, and Schuening and Levitre earned honorable mention. Oregon State was the only program in the Pac-10 to have all five of its starters earn postseason honors.

Cavanaugh’s ’06 group was so highly regarded by the Beaver coaching staff and players that head coach Mike Riley elected to run a dive play for a two-point conversion with 23 seconds remaining in the 2006 Sun Bowl, earning Oregon State a 39-38 victory over Missouri.

In 2005 three of “Cavs” offensive linemen earned postseason honors, including Perry as the Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year and College Football News Freshman All-America. Running behind the likes of Perry, Bernard was the nation’s ninth-best running back in terms of yards per game (120.1).

Cavanaugh, a 1986 graduate of Southern Connecticut University, spent six seasons at the University of Hawai’i as the offensive line coach. He coached five NFL draft selections during his Warrior tenure.

The 45-year-old Cavanaugh helped Hawai’i finish in the top 17 for total offense in each of his last four seasons, including second in 2002 at 495.6 yards per game. Hawai’i was sixth in 2003 at 488.1, seventh in 2001 at 462.7 and 17^th in 2004 at 434.0. The Warriors are known for their passing attack, yet during the Cavanaugh tenure the team allowed just one sack on every 26 attempts.

During his career at the Manoa campus, the Warriors played in four bowl games, including a 23-17 victory over Oregon State in the 1999 Oahu Bowl.

Cavanaugh began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Albany in New York. In 1987 he was the offensive line coach at Wesleyan in Middletown, Conn., and from 1988-91 he was at Alma College in Michigan. While at Alma he served as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for the first three seasons and then as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach for the final year.

Cavanaugh then was the offensive line coach and strength coach at Murray State in Kentucky for the 1992 season and offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut for 1993 and ’94. He was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Ferris State University in Michigan for the 1995 and ’96 seasons and helped the program win a pair of Midwest Intercollegiate Conference titles. The ’95 team advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals.

He moved on to the National Football League in 1997 as the assistant offensive line/quality control coach for the San Diego Chargers, a position he held for two years, before joining the Hawai’i staff.

Cavanaugh played college football at New Haven from 1981-82 before transferring to Southern Connecticut State where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1986. The Wallingford, Conn., native is married to the former Laurie Gilbride and the couple has two sons, Shane and Blair. Laurie’s brother is Kevin Gilbride, the offensive coordinator, of the 2008 Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

CAVANAUGH PROFILE

Assignment: Offensive Line

Recruiting Area: Arizona

Year at OSU: 4th

Age: 45

Hometown: Wallingford, Connecticut

Education:

1986 Bachelor’s in Physical Education from Southern Connecticut State

1981 Lyman High School

Wife: Laurie

Children: Shane and Blair

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Oregon State, 2005-present

Hawai’i, 1999-2004

San Diego Chargers, 1997-98

Ferris State (MI), 1995-96

Sacred Heart (CT), 1993-94

Murray State (KY), 1992

Alma (MI), 1988-91

Wesleyan (CT), 1987

Albany (NY), 1986

OSU HIGHLIGHTS

2007 Roy Schuening (OG/OT) – 1^st Team All-Pac-10

Andy Levitre (OT) – 2^nd Team All-Pac-10

Yvenson Bernard, RB (110.3) – 3^rd in Pac-10

Yvenson Bernard, RB (126.6) – 6^th in Pac-10 for all-purpose yards

Emerald Bowl champions

2006 Jeremy Perry (OG) – 1^st Team All-Pac-10

All Five Starters Earn Postseason Honors – only program in Pac-10.

Yvenson Bernard, RB (100.5) – 2^nd in Pac-10

Yvenson Bernard, RB (121.8) – 4^th in Pac-10 for all-purpose yards

Sun Bowl Champions

2005 Pass Offense (296.5) – 10^th in NCAA

Yvenson Bernard, RB (120.1) – 4^th in Pac-10/9^th in NCAA

Jeremy Perry (OG) – Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year/SN Freshman All-American

Two linemen earn Pac-10 Honorable Mention