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Gophers men’s gymnastics coach Mike Burns applies to join U’s Board of Regents

andy greder, pioneer press
·1 min read

Gophers men’s gymnastics coach Mike Burns, who fought against the University of Minnesota athletic department and the Board of Regents’ decision to cut the team as an intercollegiate sport, has applied to become a regent.

A news release shared Thursday said Burns was using the adage: “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

The 12-member board has four positions to be filled, and the deadline to apply was Tuesday, according to the Regent Candidate Advisory Board.

The Board of Regents voted in October 2020 to cut men’s gymnastics, men’s tennis and indoor track and field due to budget shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic and to comply with Title XI.

Burns, who still coaches men’s gymnastics as a club team, said he will continue to fight to bring back the discontinued sports but also seeks to improve the regents’ transparency and accessibility and serve as a “watchdog” for the state’s taxpayers.

“I’ve given almost 20 years of my life to the University of Minnesota, and I feel an obligation to see it continue striving to be the great institution it aspires to be,” Burns said.

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