You walk into Head Baseball Coach Timothy Canavan’s room, noticing that he has a championship wrestling belt, and two wrestling action figures on his desk. You think he must be a fan, not realizing that there is a 20-year stretch that he can name any main event.
Since Canavan’s college days he has been a wrestling encyclopedia memorizing main events and matches in professional wrestling.
“I remember picking up a wrestling almanac one year,” Canavan said, “I started flipping through it and I got curious about all the things that I had missed since I was a fan, So I would go through and read the events that had happened that I didn’t get to see.”
Canavan’s introduction came from a childhood friend who invited him over to watch Wrestle Mania Three live.
“It was a pretty big deal back then because the options to be able to see an event like that were pretty limited,” Canavan said, “As a kid, I just thought the storyline was done really well.”
After his first introduction to the sport, Canavan would watch wrestling every Sunday morning after church with friends. His true passion for the sport wouldn’t come until a conversation about Monday Night Raw came up in a college baseball practice.
“I just wanted to be able to get in on the conversation the next time so I went home and I watched it,” Canavan said, “And by then we’re talking 11 or 12 years later. It wasn’t really for kids anymore. It was edgier.”
“I always felt that I was pretty lucky to walk away from it.”
— Head Coach Tim Canavan
For the next seven years Canavan would watch wrestling at least once a week, while continuing to grow his knowledge of the sport.
“There’s a certain innocence,” Canavan said. “Innocent mindless fun.”
Canavan grew up playing baseball starting all the way back in kindergarten. He fell in love with the game and played through highschool and even in college. After his playing career finished, Canavan did not plan to go into coaching and instead found a non-baseball related job, until a life threatening car accident changed everything.
“I always felt that I was pretty lucky to walk away from it,” Canavan said, “If I’m going to get a second opportunity in life, what’s something that’s a good way to spend my time.”
Canavan remembered the coaches he had as a kid, the appreciation and respect he had for them, and what they had done to positively affect his life; he wanted to replicate this for future baseball players.
“Coach Canavan has really forced me to grow up as a baseball player this season,” Sophomore Dominic Reineke said, “he and the rest of the coaches were very understanding about me playing soccer as well, but he has still really pushed me to get the best out of me this season.”
Canavan asked many people about coaching, trying to learn as much as he could about it to become the best coach he could be. He became obsessed with coaching, just like he became obsessed with wrestling in the past.
“It’s just kind of my nature,” Canavan said, “If I’m gonna do something, I’m going to be all in on it.”
