In the Huddle with Coach Gut

We are pleased to present this in-depth conversation with Coach Mike Gutelius about his journey at Catholic University—as both a player and a coach—and his perspective dealing with brain cancer.

Today, we’re featuring our very own head football coach, Mike Gutelius – or Coach Gut – who speaks along with Neil Donahue, senior director of advancement for athletics, and Huey Bodger, assistant director of alumni affinity programming.

Coach Gut played offensive line at Catholic University. After graduating in 1992 with a major in politics and a minor in philosophy, Mike returned as an assistant coach for the 1992-1993 season. He went on to obtain his master’s degree in education before diving into a long and successful career, holding positions such as a defensive ends coach, assistant head coach, and defensive coordinator at various universities.

He returned to Catholic University as the 30th head coach in program history in 2016, and completed his seventh season at Catholic University in 2024. That same year, Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Despite receiving treatments at Duke University in North Carolina, Gutelius was in the box or on the sideline for seven of the team's games that season. Due to the resolve shown in tough circumstances by both team and coaching staff, Gutelius and the rest of the staff earned Landmark Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Huey Bodger
We're back with Cardinal Perspectives. My name is Huey Bodger. Today we're joined by Neil Donahue and Coach Gut, head football coach at Catholic University. We're going to delve into Coach Gut’s story while he's been at the University.  Coach Gut, we just want to start off, can you tell us a little bit about your story? You're an alum and now you're coaching. Could you tell us about how you've come to build a career here at Catholic University?

Coach Gut
I came here really because of football and it being Catholic. Growing up as a Catholic kid, it was something special to land here, and the football program was doing pretty well. It was an incredible thing to see the commitment to getting better at football matched the commitment to get good grades and get a great degree. I came here to study politics and international studies, and I was really interested in studying the Soviet Union. And then while I was here, the Soviet Union went away and became Russia again. So, I went from being a political studies major to a possible history teacher.

As that changed, the football program was working hard to climb up, and I really enjoyed doing that. I was injured in my senior year, which pushed me off the field a little bit, but I got into the press box and realized, “Hey, this is pretty good.” I liked doing it, so that's where I landed, and kept battling to learn about coaching football. So much of it matched learning about other things at Catholic University.

Huey Bodger
So, coach, in all the years you’ve been here as a player and now as a coach, what are you most proud of?

Coach Gut
What I’m most proud of is choosing to come to a place that helped me grow—not just through football, but personally. As a player, I worked really hard. I started out playing guard, and after an injury to one of our linemen, they moved me to tackle. I’m not typical lineman size, but I believed I could play hard enough to earn my place. That mindset really took hold during my first year—Catholic went 8–2.

Fred O’Connor was our head coach then—a guy who had coached in the NFL before coming here. He was something else. Later, we moved on to Coach Novak and others, and Catholic had some strong years in the 90s while I was starting to move into coaching. But what stands out to me most now isn’t so much the on-field moments, though I do remember some great blocks and physical plays. What I treasure are the relationships—riding the bus with my teammates, the goofy conversations, team meals.

That camaraderie has stuck with me. As a coach now, that’s what I want our guys to understand. This isn’t just about what happens on the field. It’s about what we build together—as a team.

One of the most powerful moments for me came in my second game as head coach. We were playing a strong Utica team here at home—and we beat them. That was huge. It was our first year, and Utica has since become a playoff program, but that day, we got them. I look to God for that one—partly because my father, who’s since passed, was at that game. I didn’t see it at first, but the players decided on their own to walk over and shake my dad’s hand.

He was seated off to the side, having been brought in a wheelchair, and each of them went over to him. They even gave him a football. That meant a lot. As a player, I knew the value of team, of doing things together. But as a coach, that moment showed me something deeper. It convinced me I was in the right place. It was a great win—but more than that, it was a reminder of why we do this. I committed right then to keep working my tail off to help us keep moving forward. To see the way these guys were already committed to connecting, to recognizing what matters, that meant everything.

My dad got that ball. He had played college football himself—Canadian football, back where he went to school. He was proud of me, and I was proud of the team. That moment was a powerful connection—between the players, my father, and everything we were building together. It affirmed for me that this is the kind of team, and the kind of place, worth giving everything to.

Neil Donahue
What would you say is the most important lesson that you hope all of your players take with them when they graduate?

Coach Gut
The football coach in me wants them to remember getting here and working hard, but it’s bigger than that. As I’ve grown through coaching, I’ve come to a point where, while they’re playing, if they learn that they’re second and the team’s number one, then they’re getting prepared for what’s next in their lives.

I want these guys to graduate with a great degree, but also to look back on football as something that trained them, that got them ready to work hard at where they are in life. Being part of a family, where their family’s number one and they’re second. I think being at The Catholic University of America is good for our guys. They can move this to the bigger picture of God being number one and them being number two. All these things coming together can start with football. They’ll go through life knowing they’re there to help and push toward something bigger than themselves.

Huey Bodger
You've never really shied away from your faith. You've lived it out loud. Could you talk about the importance of that and how you have shown who you are and who the University is, and how you've combined the two?

Coach Gut
Thank you for saying that. It’s been wonderful to be back at The Catholic University of America after playing here and then coaching around the country at different schools. I’ve coached at some wonderful schools, but at other levels of believing in God. To be back at the Catholic University has been something I’m so glad for. I’m happy to work with our guys, making sure they understand that – yes – they’re here to play football – yes – they’re here to get an education, but they also need to know that God is first. They need to understand why that’s important and how to live it for the rest of their lives.

Now that I’m a little older and my children are either in college or out, I look at things differently than I did when I got here at 19. It was wonderful then, but I look back now and I want these guys to know and understand that they’re here and open to their relationship with Jesus. How does that work? What does it do? What does it train them for? So they can ask, "What am I supposed to do? What does God want me to do?"

That’s a tough question to ask. It’s a tough question if you really mean it—what does God want me to do? And here, I’m spoiled as the coach. I think, "Let’s get some touchdowns and wins." Here we are with this group of guys who chose Catholic University, and we have a chance to keep working with them on what’s next. What should they do to take their next step toward God?

Neil Donahue
Well, Huey and I are both alums. I'm sure we all have a very good answer to this next question. But what do you think makes Catholic University unique?

Coach Gut
We are The Catholic University of America, and that means some things are going to open up to them while they’re here. The number of priests that are here studying, many of them working on a master’s degree, some just starting undergrad—this openness to what God wants us to do is what makes CatholicU different. We also tie that to athletics, saying we can really fight for wins without losing sight of what God wants from us. How does that come together? How do we open ourselves to what He’s teaching us? At Catholic University, we push people right to the edge.

I see this with our guys when they talk about how academically challenging things are. They’ll talk about fighting for their degree, being right at the edge, and then their professor helping them and saying, “Here’s what we’re hitting, here’s where you’re at.” CatholicU has been great at walking people right to the edge and then saying, “We’re here to help now.” It’s about getting a commitment from the guys. Of course, it’s a football team, so I work more with the guys. It’s about getting a commitment from them to reach that hard point, where not only is the professor helping, but also, being open to God and what He’s asking them to do. It’s hard, but it will take you to a whole new level.

Huey Bodger
So Coach, take us back to last year and talk about what you were going through and the lead up right before the season.

Coach Gut
Last summer was a crazy one. During June and leading into July, I spent a lot of time getting the coaching books right, getting ready to meet with our coaches about how the season was going to go, what’s different this year, what we need to work on, and our thoughts for the team. At the end of June, I had a weird day. My wife looked at me and said, "We need to go to the hospital." I said okay. She drove me to the hospital, and on the way, I passed out and had some crazy episodes. They got me into the hospital and checked me for many things. It wasn't until another doctor came in, looked at the films, and said, "This looks like a brain tumor." He went in and took out the brain tumor, but he didn’t realize it wasn’t the whole tumor. When he looked in, he said, "This is a biopsy, not a tumor removal." He took a piece out, and it was a biopsy. The results came back, and I had glioblastoma, a cancer they can’t cure, but they wanted to work with me on it.

The next step was to figure out where to go. I know there are some great places around here, but I got connected to Duke University. They went in and did great work on me. One of the things is, I’m the fourth person in a challenge they’re doing for head work. It sounds funny—here’s a football coach talking about head work—but I’m getting tremendous help in what's next. They’re working on me, and I’m able to come back and coach the squad.

Now, going back to what you asked, the season was crazy because that operation happened at the end of training camp. I had just been at training camp following the biopsy, and after training camp, I had to get the tumor removed. They did the surgery, and I missed our first game. It was really hard, but I was able to watch it seven days after surgery. After that, I came to our next couple of home games and got back into things. Once I was physically able, I had to go back for more treatment. That’s how it works. I went through radiation and chemotherapy, and it was pushing me. The funniest thing was when I said, "Do you need me on the weekends?" They said, "No, you can go back and coach." They called me coach, and I could be there on Saturday. I thought, "This is great." With where football is now, online, using Huddle to watch video, I was calling our coaches to review practice from the day before and talk about things. I was able to make the games. There were two away games that were too far for me to get to, but other than that, I was so proud of how we were fighting as a team. I wanted to make sure I was fighting as a coach, and I was able to get back for that last game.

The game before that, I was here for, but for the last game, I was at the week of practice. We traveled on a bus to play Juniata, and I rode with the team, like I always did. We played well and won. But what was really good for me was being with the team, eating with them, and watching the guys stay committed to doing what we had taught them. That was one of the deepest moments I had. I believe that strength came from their relationship with God. That was something for me. That’s a long answer about the process, but it’s brought me to a spot where I think I need to keep working on where I’m at with God. Watching the way these players stayed on top and pushed through, and receiving text after text from them, showed me what it takes to be ready to coach football. But more than that, it showed me how to be ready to be a person that God is still keeping here.

Neil Donahue
Going more into that story, we all know how strong our community is here. Do you want to touch a bit on some of the help you've received from the CatholicU football community since last summer?

Coach Gut
Yeah, it's been amazing. It’s made me go, "Yeah, this is what being Catholic is." My son, who graduated from here last spring, got a job down in North Carolina, 15 miles from Duke, where I was going to go to the doctor, and I stayed multiple times at his apartment. I just drove down there, popped in, and stayed with him, and he held me up. At one point, he was like, "Dad, now I know why I got a job down here." I got the same message from some of the players. They're like, "Coach, you're going to get through this."

The level that some of these guys came back about where they were in their relationship with Jesus, and they wanted to make sure I knew that they were talking to Him, to God, and to Mary about asking her to step forward and talk to Jesus about things. When I knew how many people were praying for me and what I was fighting through, there was a moment or two where I realized, "Man, prayer's going on." I was like, "I gotta clean this up and make sure I'm living right." Because the amount of prayers going to God about where I was at and what I was fighting, I'm kind of laughing about it now, but there were moments where I cried because of the number of people who were actively praying to God for me and what I was going through. That is something.

Early on in coaching, I prayed on Fridays for how we were going to play on Saturday. I remember before my big surgery down at Duke, I said, "Hey, can we stop and pray for a second before you operate?" They did, and they were quiet, and they were looking at me, and I just felt more. I wound up getting blessed here before I left, before the surgery, and Father put his hands on my head and continued to pray. He took his hands off after that, but I felt something on my head for well over a minute after he prayed for me. To go through that level and to say that, no matter what happens, I've looked in the right direction, and I can't say—don't get me wrong, surgeons did a wonderful job, and this was great—but to have those prayers really makes me feel like what I believe is right there.

Huey Bodger
Having played for you and given me the opportunity to coach on your staff, getting to see everything you've done at this University, you've set the ultimate example, especially for the players. I remember getting into the season last year, not being sure how to manage the situation, but then thinking about how hard you were fighting throughout the whole season. You set the ultimate example for everyone in the Catholic University family, and you have a great story, Coach.

Coach Gut
Thank you. It's not me. It's looking at the team and knowing that these guys were still there. One of the moms of the players told me at a game, "Do you know how often these guys are praying the Rosary for you on Fridays?" I said, "They're not telling me." She said, "Well, they don't want to ruin it." But knowing that our players were doing that was awesome. To know that guys like you were coming to practice, picking up the pieces I couldn’t handle, and leading our guys to the next step—not just football, but what’s their next step in life—is amazing.

Watching these guys get ready to graduate, that’s where I am right now. When I bump into them on campus as they’re getting ready, I talk to them for a few minutes. The first thing I have to tell them is "thank you,” because I know they went to bat for me. They worked hard to put things forward. A lot of what’s happened to me and what I’m continuing to do, football-wise, isn’t really about football. It’s about going back to that two-to-one, where I’m second and the team’s number one. Whether I’m here or not, this place has guys who know that and are working for it, looking at the bigger picture. From year one, playing defensive line, to now coaching them, I’m pretty lucky for that. But to know where this program is and where we’re heading is because of the commitment we’re getting from guys—yes, about football, but more about who they are and who God wants them to be. That’s going to get me back working hard.

Neil Donahue
Before we move on, I just want to say, Coach, how much of an inspiration you are to everyone in this building, across campus, and everyone who’s touched foot on a football field here at Catholic. It’s truly amazing to see you fight and come in every day, walking through the building with a smile on your face. You’re an inspiration. So thank you.

Let’s look forward. Let’s talk football. Let’s talk about the fall. Some exciting things are happening. I hear there are plans to upgrade the 40-year-old locker room that we’re adjacent to right now. Can you talk me through that, where we are, and what the plan is?

Coach Gut
The great thing to note is the number of people here who realize that football is about the team being able to spend time together, get ready together, and take the field together. The locker room was built in a great building, but it was more designed when football was just about getting changed and heading out to the field. Now, with different majors like engineering, nursing, or politics, the football team doesn’t get as much time together unless they can get to the locker room.

Looking at some of the plans we have coming, what’s being built for us will allow these guys to be together in a true locker room, a true pregame room, in a setting that will be high-level. The guys will get ready to go out and play, where they should play, and how hard they should play, because they’ll feel like people care about them and want them to have that environment. We’re making sure they have good-sized lockers, the space will be opened up, some of the walls will be removed, and the angles will be great. It’s going to be awesome. I’m ready for it as a coach, but I have to make sure I’m not mad as a player because I go back to the locker I had when I was here—it’s still in there.

It will be a football-specific space because we have a larger number of people committed to the team, and I want to make sure they all have a space to be together. We’re pushing hard on how it’s going to work, what the construction is going to look like, and when it can happen.

I think we can have the locker room ready for the 2026 season. When we get started on it, it’s going to be making sure we have what we need. That’s not just the drawings and fittings, but also getting people at Catholic University to support what we’re doing. There’s a lot out there. We just have to make sure everyone understands that. For a new locker room like that, we need great commitment from people outside. Guys will probably feel like I do about where my locker was, but that’s gone now. I think everyone understands the commitment required for football at this level and what we need. If we want to move forward, let’s make sure we offer a room where these guys can push harder together and be the team, be the Cardinals. They’ll be together. Outstanding.

Huey Bodger
One more for you, Coach. If you have the Catholic University community and all the friends of the program right here, what would you tell someone who wants to support either that project or the program generally?

Coach Gut
What I want to tell them is to help us. There are a lot of guys who graduated from CatholicU, and some are deeply connected. They've given so much and keep going. We need to grow that group, and we’re working on that for football right now. The Gridiron Club is an area we’re pushing to get consistent help at a certain level so football can take the next step. College football requires that level of support, whether it’s Ohio State or Catholic University. We need people contributing to lift the program so we can take the steps to become a football program fighting for championships.

The thought process is, "That’s a good reason to give," but it’s also about giving because you want to stay involved. When folks commit and say, "Yes, I’m going to give this amount," we want that to happen. We want to work with them, and we want our guys to feel they’ve bought into the program, not just physically but also in how we move forward. We want to make sure the locker room, the helmets to protect them, other equipment, travel, and how we feed them all meet the high standards of college football. This is all supported by external contributions.

We're at a point where guys are already helping, but some may feel they can help a little extra to get us to that next step. It’s tough, and we ask for help in the same way we ask players to be ready for training camp. Helping the program is tough, but it’s awesome. Seeing folks and spending time with them is where I’m at right now, and it would be awesome regardless. But now, I think I have a deeper level of understanding what commitment means.

Neil Donahue
Coach, thanks for sharing a bit about your story and how the last few months have been for you. Do you have a status update on where you are with everything? What’s been happening lately? What’s coming up in the next few months?

Coach Gut
I think I’m doing well. I say “I think” because I have to go back regularly—once a month for checkups and every two months for an MRI to make sure there’s no growth.

So far, so good. That’s been going well, and the way I’m responding to what Duke has done with me, and how they’re working with it—it’s been great. I don’t mind saying their name.

But it’s not just Duke—it’s the people helping me throughout this process. Even the surgeon who removed the tumor—his last comment as he left the room was, “Coach, you need to lose some weight.” That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I’ve worked on that. They’ve helped me learn which foods support my health and which don’t.

It’s been a journey—starting at a great hospital and continuing with the support of people who are invested in me and watching how I’m preparing to get back to work. And when I say “work,” I mean coaching football. I love it. I love being around these guys and watching them take the next step. It’s incredible to see their commitment, especially knowing how hard they worked while I was missing practices and undergoing treatment.

I think I’m doing great, but I’ll have to keep getting checked because this level of brain cancer doesn’t just go away. I don’t mind saying—95% of people diagnosed at my level don’t live past 18 months. But there are people who do. If I don’t, I’m glad my relationship with Jesus has grown. And if I do, my relationship with Him has still grown. That’s where I’m at—and I feel great.

The clinical trial I’m in—I was the fourth person at Duke to receive it. There was some funny stuff—like I had to take a special medicine before going in for radiation and chemo. I had to ride in a wheelchair, even though I could walk fine, because they didn’t want me using any oxygen. So people would see me wheeled into this department, and then I’d walk out afterward. I used to joke, “I’m cured,” as I walked out on my own. That was my way of saying—maybe I am cured. Maybe it’s gone. Maybe I’m winning this fight.

But I’m not going to stop trying. I’m going to keep following their guidance and doing what I need to do—because I’m going to keep kicking that ball and trying to make those big field goals.

Neil Donahue
Coach, you have a big trip coming up. You want to talk about where you're going in the next couple of weeks and how that all transpired?

Coach Gut
It’s amazing. A friend of mine who graduated from Catholic a year ahead of me—he preferred that I don’t use his name—connected me to someone involved with Malta and their association. They’ve been around for about a thousand years, and they want to help people. One of the Knights reached out and asked if I’d be interested in going to Our Lady of Lourdes. And yes—absolutely, I would. They committed to flying me, along with other patients in need of deep prayer, to Lourdes.

This all happened quickly. I met them over the winter, and at the time, I wasn’t sure how things would play out. But recently, my wife and I got a call saying, “We’re flying you to France, to Our Lady of Lourdes. You’ll spend a few days there.” I thought—wow. I can’t wait. And here’s the amazing part. As I’ve been learning more about prayer, about how to live, and about those who came before us, my brother reminded me of something. Before my mom was married, she spent almost a month in Lourdes, helping people reach the waters there.

I hadn’t really remembered that until recently. Then I recalled the miraculous medal my mom gave me—it had been in the water at Lourdes. Just hearing these things again, reflecting on them, and looking ahead—it lit a fire in me. I might just get wet at Lourdes and move forward, but I want to turn to Mary and say, “Thank you. Thank you for your Son. Thank you for listening to me.”

I’m grateful for the people helping me get there. They’re taking care of everything—flying me over, arranging the trip. It’s something special to think about Lourdes, about Mary, and about those who are stepping in to support me.

That small voice in me—the football coach—says when teammates help you take the next step, you thank them, and you do it the right way. But this is more than that. I can’t wait to experience it, and to come back and talk to people—especially the kids on our team—about what prayer truly is and how real it can be. If I connect with our Lord in a new way out there, I won’t be surprised. I’ll love it—but I won’t be surprised.

Neil Donahue
Outstanding, Coach. Thank you.

I think we'll finish up here. We talked a bit about the CatholicU community, the football community. Your biggest supporters are your family. Is there anything you wanna share about your wife or your kids over the last few months and how they've been so supportive and helpful for you?

Coach Gut
Yeah, it's been amazing. My kids—during the early parts of this—they were so involved and around. My daughter’s still in college, my other two sons are out working. But for me, the biggest picture is my wife and how she has put herself in so many spots to help me and move me along. Her prayers for me too.

One of the main things—she left one position where she worked to go out of the office and be on her own. That was a year before this happened. She was in the hospital working on her computer while I was getting worked on in other areas. She was able to be there and be so present. Having her do that has been unbelievable—to watch how she’s jumped in and just said, “Okay, let’s go. What do we need to do?” The amazing thing is, she’s an 18-year breast cancer survivor. She works hard, and she’s had some ups and downs and has really done it all.

One of the funniest moments—and it shouldn’t be funny, but it is to us because of who we are—she looked at me one evening and said, “I didn’t think you’d get this. I worked hard thinking I’d be around this long after my cancer, and here you are getting cancer.” And we laugh about it, because what do you say? “Yeah, sorry.” But in that moment, she’s not afraid to share or talk about who she is. She’s been so bought in and helpful to me. I get to work with her in another relationship—our marriage—taking another step. Knowing her love for Jesus, going to church with her, being involved, has been incredible.

Having her be the way she is, saying, “Okay, what’s next? Let’s go to work,” has shaped my own attitude. I’ve taken some of that on. Normally, I’d be overwhelmed, but I look at her, and she’s already got 18 years in the bank. I should be okay. I thank her for it. She just looks at me and says, “I’m here for you.” And that’s been incredible—to have that relationship with her and to watch her help me get to the next step. My kids too—they’re like, “Okay, Dad, let’s go.”

I’ve coached the football team hard, and it’s a little different at home, but it’s almost like they’re ready to get me practicing, making sure I’m working hard enough to move ahead.