Football
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Offensive Line
Mike Cavanaugh is in his 10th season as Oregon State’s offensive line coach. His line has enabled the Beaver offense to be one of the best in the nation during his tenure.
He has had three offensive linemen drafted during his OSU career and 2007 draftee Adam Koets earned a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants while Kyle DeVan started at guard for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl. He has also coached OSU All-Americans Andy Levitre (OT), Jeremy Perry (OG) and Isaac Seumalo (C). Beaver offensive linemen have been stalwarts on Pac-12 postseason teams as well, earning 23 all-conference honors during the Cavanaugh era.
The play of the offensive line in 2013 enabled quarterback Sean Mannion to break the Pac-12 Conference record for single season passing yards and rank as the second-leading passer in the NCAA. All of that while allowing a sack only one time in every 25 pass attempts. Center Isaac Seumalo and guard Grant Enger earned postseason Pac-12 honors.
Coach Cavs helped Oregon State make the biggest turnaround from 2011 to 2012 in the NCAA as the Beavers improved by six wins and played in the Valero Alamo Bowl. A nearly revamped offensive line was among the best units for a season in Beaver history, with Seumalo earning Freshman All-America honors. Seumalo along with Enger were selected Pac-12 Honorable Mention by the league’s head coaches.
The 2011 Beavers were riddled with injuries along the line, but center Grant Johnson earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. His 2010 line was a roster of youthful players, with the exception of veteran center Alex Linnenkohl. Linnenkohl earned Pac-10 Conference Second Team honors while leading the Beaver offense that featured all-league running back Jacquizz Rodgers. Linnenkohl started 38 consecutive games. Tackle Mike Remmers also garnered postseason Pac-10 honors.
In 2009 several injuries forced the offensive line to adapt while playing several young linemen. Gregg Peat, the veteran of the group, earned Pac-10 First Team, while Linnenkohl was an honorable mention selection and tackle Michael Philipp a freshman All-American. With two walkons in the starting lineup protecting and blocking, quarterback Sean Canfield, running back Jacquizz Rodgers and receiver James Rodgers all earned first team all-league acclaim.
In 2008 his line helped running back Jacquizz Rodgers become the first freshman ever to earn Pac-10 Conference Offensive MVP honors. Andy Levitre, a second round NFL Draft selection of Buffalo, and guard Adam Speer earned all-league honors to go along with Rodgers. His line was one of the best in the nation at protecting the quarterback, allowing an average of one sack per every 21 pass attempts.
In 2007 his group assisted 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. Guard Roy Schuening earned first team all-league honors while Levitre earned second team and DeVan honorable mention. Schuening was drafted in the fifth round by the St. Louis Rams while DeVan took the free agent route.
The 2006 team featured sophomore guard Jeremy Perry earning Pac-10 First Team honors, Koets and DeVan garnered second team acclaim, and Schuening and Levitre earned honorable mention. Koets was a sixth round pick of the Giants. Oregon State was the only team 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 “blast” play for a two-point conversion with 23 seconds remaining in the 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.
He 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 17th 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 former offensive coordinator of the 2008 and 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Blair is a member of the football team.
CAVANAUGH PROFILE
Assignment: Offensive Line
Recruiting Area: Arizona, Las Vegas, Oklahoma
Year at OSU: 10th
Age: 51
Hometown: Wallingford, Connecticut
Education: Bachelor’s in Physical Education from Southern Connecticut State (1986); 1981 Lyman High School (Wallingford, CT)
Wife: Laurie
Children: Shane and Blair
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Oregon State, 2005-present (OL); Hawai’i, 1999-2004 (OL); San Diego Chargers, 1997-98 (OL); Ferris State (MI), 1995-96 (OL/Rec. Coord.); Sacred Heart (CT), 1993-94 (Off. Line); Murray State (KY), 1992 (OL); Alma (MI), 1988-91 (Off. Coord./Off. Line); Wesleyan (CT), 1987 (OL); Albany (NY), 1986
OSU HIGHLIGHTS
2013
Isaac Seumalo (C) – Pac-12 Second Team
Grant Enger (G) – Pac-12 Honorable Mention
Pass Offense (372.6) – 3rd in NCAA/1st Pac-12
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl champions
2012
Isaac Seumalo (C) – Freshman All-America/Pac-12 Honorable Mention
Grant Enger (G) – Pac-12 Honorable Mention
2011
Grant Johnson (C) – Pac-12 Honorable Mention
2010
Alex Linnenkohl (C) – Pac-10 Second Team
Mike Remmers (OT) – Pac-10 Honorable Mention
2009
Gregg Peat (OG) – Pac-10 First Team
Alex Linnekohl (C) – Pac-10 Honorable Mention
Michael Philipp (OT) – Freshman All-America
Jacquizz Rodgers (RB) – Pac-10 First Team
2008
Andy Levitre (OT) – Pac-10 First Team/All-American
2nd round pick of Buffalo Bills
Adam Speer (OG) – Pac-10 Second Team
Jacquizz Rodgers (RB) – Pac-10 Off. MVP
Sun Bowl champions.
2007
Roy Schuening (OG/OT) – Pac-10 First Team; 5th round pick of St. Louis Rams
Andy Levitre (OT) – Pac-10 Second Team
Yvenson Bernard, RB (110.3) – 3rd in Pac-10
Yvenson Bernard, RB (126.6) – 6th in Pac-10 for all-purpose yards
Emerald Bowl champions
2006
Jeremy Perry (OG) – Pac-10 First Team
Adam Koets – 6th round pick New York Giants
All Five Starters Earn Postseason Honors – only team in Pac-10
Yvenson Bernard, RB (100.5) – 2nd in Pac-10
Yvenson Bernard, RB (121.8) – 4th in Pac-10 for all-purpose yards
Sun Bowl Champions
2005
Pass Offense (296.5) – 10th in NCAA
Yvenson Bernard, RB (120.1) – 4th in Pac-10/9th in NCAA
Jeremy Perry (OG) – Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year/SN Freshman All-American
Two linemen earn Pac-10 Honorable Mention
