University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- burns265@umn.edu
- Phone:
- 612-625-9567
Mike Burns served as the University of Minnesota men's gymnastics coach from 2005-21.
In 2021, Minnesota earned a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and three Gophers were named as NCAA All-Americans. Shane Wiskus earned All-American honors on floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, high bar and in the all-around competition. Minnesota placed sixth int he Big Ten Championships.
The 2020 season was unlike any other as it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With only two Big Ten matches remaining on the calendar, the Big Ten and NCAA announced on March 12, 2020 that they were ceasing competitions and championships because of COVID-19 public health concerns.
Minnesota finished the 2019 season with a second-place finish at the NCAA championships. In the Big 10 Championships, Tristan Duran won gold in p-bars, the first gymnast to do so since 1992. Shane Wiskus was the national runner-up in the all-around at the NCAA Championships as well as CGA Rookie of the Year, B1G Gymnast of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Burns also won CGA Central Region Coach of the Year.
The 2017 season marked Burns' 13th season with the Gophers. Minnesota placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, the program's highest finish in 15 years and best in his tenure. Burns was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. During the season, Justin Karstadt was named the Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Year, Alex Wittenberg was named Big Ten Champion on floor exercise and four Gophers earned five All-American honors at the NCAA Championships.
In 2016, Burns led Minnesota to the team to the NCAA Team Finals for the first time since 2007. The Gophers' head coach earned several regional and local accolades throughout the season including the CGA Central Region Head Coach of the Year and the the University of Minnesota's Men's Head Coach of the Year.
Burns began laying the foundation for the future of the Gopher program in 2005, his first year as Minnesota's head coach.
In his third year at the helm (2007), Burns led the Golden Gophers to the NCAA Team Finals for the first time since 1990. According to the Gophers mentor, qualifying for the NCAA Team Finals (top six) is definitely the goal every season.
Burns, a native of Norwood, Mass., came to the Gophers from Michigan where he was assistant men's coach since 1997. Burns received the National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 1999, while helping lead Michigan to the 1999 NCAA Championship. He received the same honor in 2000, after leading the Wolverines to the second of two consecutive Big Ten team titles. During his tenure at Michigan, he coached five national champions, 37 All-Americans, and 14 Big Ten champions.
Prior to his stint in Ann Arbor, Mich., Burns was assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1980 to 1991. During his time with the Hawkeyes, Burns was named the 1989 National Assistant Coach of the Year, marking the first of three times in which he would earn that award. Burns helped lead Iowa to the 1986 Big Ten Championship and aided the team in qualifying for the NCAA Championships in eight-straight seasons from 1984-1991. He coached 16 Big Ten individual champions and 15 NCAA All-Americans while at Iowa. Burns was also a member of the USA National Team coaching staff from 1986-90 and coached four U.S. National Team members.
Burns received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Geological Sciences from Penn State University in 1981.
