Name – Mike Kundinger |
Hall of Fame Bio
UW-Stout graduation year – 1993
Major – Construction
Sport(s) – Basketball, Track & Field
Years Played – Basketball (1990-1992), Track & Field (1991-1993)
Hometown (High School) – Park Falls, Wisconsin (Park Falls High School)
Currently Reside – Verona, WI
Mike Kundinger
Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?
After graduation, I lived in Minneapolis, Minn., for two years and married Lexi Hensler (also a UW-Stout graduate) in 1995. We moved to Austin, Texas, and lived there for four years before moving to the Madison, Wis., area in 1999. Our daughter Ally was born in 2000. Ally is currently a sophomore in high school. She is an excellent student and a three-sport athlete and we are very proud of her. I've had various job roles in the construction management field with various companies since graduating including Construction Project Manager, Estimator, Specifications Manager, and my current role of Construction Administrator with Flad Architects. In that role, I'm responsible for representing Flad Architects on projects that are under construction. I am currently working on a 7-story hospital project for Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, IA and a 5-story energy materials research laboratory on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL. In 2010, I started coaching boys track and field at the local high school where I live, Verona High School. Coaching has been a very rewarding experience and gives me a new appreciation for all the coaches that helped me during me athletic career.
Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?
I was interested in pursuing a degree in construction management and was recruited to play basketball.
What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics?
I've always been a competitive person and having the opportunity to continue to compete in sports at a collegiate level was a desire of mine after high school. It also presented the challenge to continue to improve.
Mike Kundinger was a team captain, team
MVP and an all-WIAC selection for the
Blue Devils basketball team.
What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete?
When you make a commitment, you need to stick with it and when you fail, pick yourself up and try again and you can achieve your goals if you put in the work.
Who was the most influential person in your athletic career?
Steve Terry (track & field coach)
What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout?
High jumping 7'-2-1/2" to break the school and conference high jump records in front of friends and family at the outdoor conference championship meet held at UW-Stout.
How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete?
Serious, competitive, quiet, and a bit silly.
Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes? (If so, who?)
Former basketball teammate Matt Pelland and former track & field teammates Rich Vargas and Leigh Hartert.
Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout?
Student construction association.
How difficult was it being a multiple sport athlete, track and basketball?
It was quite challenging. Some days having both practices or games in the same day in both sports. All the while attending classes and keeping up with the required coursework. I learned the value of time management and prioritizing, which helps me to this day. I was determined to make this commitment work because I enjoyed competing in both sports.
Talk about how fun it is when the crowd gets behind the student-athlete during the high jump.
It's so important. It gives you that extra shot of adrenaline you need at critical times in the competition. I am thankful to have had so many supportive teammates that got the crowd going for me and it pushed me to jump even higher.
