Kevin Parvinen was one of the greatest wrestlers in Butte High history.

In three years on the Bulldog varsity team, Parvinen posted a 77-2 record. He once held the school mark with 58 straight victories.

After taking third place at 98 pounds as a sophomore, Parvinen won the weight class in 1985, posting a 26-0 record. The next year, Parvinen went 30-0 and won the state title at 105 pounds.

Those finishes helped Butte High win three Class AA State titles. It was in the middle part of Butte High’s magical run of 13 straight crowns.

Of course, his high school days only tell part of the story about Parvinen, whose wrestling career started when he was about 6 years old. Well, it actually started before that. He used to wrestle a stuffed animal in his bedroom before he officially took the mat.

Parvinen won nine consecutive Montana State freestyle wrestling championships. He won three Western Regional crowns. He also won a state title in Greco-Roman in the only year he competed in that classification.

Parvinen competed for Team Montana at the Cadet World Championship in Missoula in 1983, and he placed fourth in his weight class.

In two weeks, Parvinen, who also coached wrestling at Butte High and Butte Central, will be inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. It is an honor that is long overdue.

Earlier today, I met with Parvinen at his house for a fun conversation.

Listen in as he talks about his early days as a wrestler and a sledding injury that helped give him an advantage along the way.

Listen as he talks about competing for coach Jim Street and being part of Butte High’s legendary run of state titles. Listen as he talks about being inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.