University of Wisconsin-Stout Athletics

Vavra will be remembered as the most dominant shortstop in Stout baseball history. He was the Blue Devils' leading hitter in 1980, 81 and 82 and the team most valuable player in 1981 and '82, the same years he was named all-district. He was an honorable mention All-America selection in 1982. Vavra appears in the top ten of six Stout career records, including the top batting average (.402), and ranks second and third in single season batting average, hitting .472 in 1981 and '82. Vavra was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1982 in the eighth round and worked his way through the farm system before illness took him off the playing field while playing AAA. Vavra stayed with the Dodgers as a coach, working at various levels in the farm system. In 1995, he was appointed the Dodgers' major league base running coach. In 1989 and 1994, Vavra was named Baseball America magazine's "Short-A Season manager of the year." Active in community events, Vavra yearly holds a baseball clinic at Stout for area youth. A native of Chippewa Falls, Vavra calls Menomonie his home during the off-season.

Vavra was with the Dodgers organization through the 2000 season, when he joined the UW-Stout coaching staff, leading the Blue Devils to a 22-10 record in 2001. Vavra joined the Minnesota Twins staff in 2002 and was named the team's hitting coach in 2005, the third base coach in 2012 and the bench coach in 2015.  Vavra joined the Detroit Tigers for the 2018 season as the quality control coach, serving in that role during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He was the Tigers' hitting coach in 2020.