Mike Cunningham

November 04, 1966 - Present

Since graduating from Springfield College, Mike has been coaching for 26 years at the high school and collegiate level. He spent four years at Wesleyan University, including one year as head coach of the Cardinals.

He was the head wrestling coach at Rocky Hill for four seasons (1998-2002) and has been the head wrestling coach at Xavier since 2002. Under Mike's leadership, the Falcons have won 11 Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) titles, five state championships (2011, 2012, 2020, 2022, 2023) and three State Open championships in 2012, 2022 and 2023. Xavier finished second at the 2022 New England championships, their best finish ever at the tournament.

Both his sons, Tyler and Colin, wrestled under Mike at Xavier and are among more than 35 wrestlers to win individual state championships. Four wrestlers have become National High School Coaches Association All-Americans. At Xavier, Mike has also been head coach of the boys lacrosse and boys soccer coach programs.

Mike was an assistant coach on the USA Wrestling Connecticut national team from 2008-16 and has been the USA Wrestling Safe Sport coordinator in Connecticut since 2019.

In 2019, Mike was named the recipient of the Theodore Ryken award for commitment to Xavier. Mike will join his father, Jim, a long-time coach at Holy Cross in Waterbury, in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Jim was inducted in 2010.

Posted by Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, April 2023
Profile photo taken May 2022


Awards:

Year
2022
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Connecticut

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