Catholic University of America

Gutelius Highlights

• 2024 Landmark Coaching Staff of the Year
• 2022 NEWMAC Coaching Staff of the Year
• 1 AFCA All-American (Andrew DiNardo, 2017)
• 1 Associated Press All-American (Andrew DiNardo, 2017)
• 6 D3football All-Region Selections
• 15 All-Landmark Conference Selections (2 1st Team, 3 2nd Team, 10 Honorable Mention)
• 28 All-NEWMAC selections (16 1st Team, 12 2nd Team)
• 15 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-District selections

Gutelius recently completed his seventh season at Catholic in 2024 after being tabbed as the 30th head coach in program history on Dec. 8, 2016. He boasts over two decades of coaching experience, including 14 years as a coordinator.

Despite a year marred in turmoil, Gutelius and the Cardinals fought their way to a fourth straight season with a .500 record or better as they won three of four to finish 5-5 and 3-3 in the Landmark Conference. Prior to the season, Gutelius was diagnosed with brain cancer, forcing him to step away for an undisclosed amount of time. 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 in 2024. Due to the resolve shown in tough circumstances by both team and coaching staff, Gutelius, his associate head coach Jonathan Rutledge, his assistant head coach Brandon Beech, and the rest of the staff earned Landmark Coaching Staff of the Year honors. 

The Cardinals picked up a handful of national recognitions along the way in 2024 as Sean Holt (at Lycoming) and John Whelan (at Juniata) each earned spots on the D3football Team of the Week. In a victory over Keystone, running back Daequan Harvin broke a long-standing record as he reset the single-game rushing mark with 242 yards. 

In 2023, Gutelius led the Catholic program to a record of 5-5, marking three straight seasons with a .500 or better record. Gutelius becomes the first leader of Catholic football to put together three such seasons consecutively since David Dunn in the late 1990's and early 2000's. The Cardinals posted a 3-3 record in their first season in the newly-formed Landmark Football Conference. Catholic won its last three games of the season, defeating Keystone and Wilkes on the road before downing Juniata on Senior Day to finish the season. 

Catholic led the Landmark Conference in passing (3,053), completions (350), completion percentage (72.0), passing touchdowns (27), passing first downs (144), and net punting (37.4) in 2023. Seven Cardinals were named to the All-Landmark Team led by Preston Jeffrey and Mason Stillwell on the first team. Grant Wicks and Carson Henry earned second-team honors while Madden Lowe, Michael Hopkins, and Malachi Hansen were Honorable Mention choices. 

The 2022 campaign was a successful one as the Cardinals posted an overall record of 6-5 with a 5-1 record in NEWMAC play. In its final season in the NEWMAC, Catholic won five straight games, including a 41-33 thriller over Merchant Marine before dropping a tight one to Springfield in the de facto championship game. After a 6-4 regular season, Catholic was selected to the New England Bowl, marking the first time since 2008 in which a Catholic Football team played a postseason contest. 

Under Gutelius' watch, the 2022 season saw a program-record for All-Conference athletes as the Cardinals placed 12 on the All-NEWMAC teams including six first-teamers (Nico Casares, Derrick Aikens, Javier Oliver, Preston Jeffrey, Noah Miller, and Malachi Hansen). Hansen and Miller went on to earn D3football.com All-Region honors as well after standout campaigns. The Cardinals also got it done in the classroom with 11 athletes earning NEWMAC All-Academic honors and three athletes earned CSC Academic All-District recognition. Gutelius and his staff were named the 2022 Co-Coaching Staff of the Year in the NEWMAC.

The 2021 season saw the Cardinals post a 6-4 record with a 4-2 record in NEWMAC play. All four of Catholic's NEWMAC victories came by 10 points, including a pair of 30-7 victories. 12 Cardinals earned All-NEWMAC Academic honors while 10 were placed on the All-NEWMAC teams including six first teamers (Aikens, Jeffrey, Michael Smith, Miller, Dieter Kerat, and Hansen). Aikens was named to the D3football.com All-Region Second Team in 2021. 

The Cardinals finished Gutelius' first season with a 5-5 record in 2017, including a mark of 3-4 in the team's inaugural season in the New England Women's and Men's Conference (NEWMAC). The team had five  players earn All-NEWMAC honors and tied a program record with three d3football.com all-region players, the most for Catholic in nine years.

Gutelius returned to his alma mater after serving seven seasons as the defensive coordinator at Lindsey Wilson College from 2010-16, helping restart the program after a 75-year hiatus. While there, he was a part of three-straight NAIA Football Championship Series appearances and was responsible for three Mid-South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year honorees and 20 all-conference selections. 

The Blue Raiders posted their first 11-win season in 2016 after earning the team's first-ever No. 1 national ranking a year earlier. Gutelius was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015 after his defense allowed just 224 points, the lowest in program history.

In 2014, Lindsey Wilson won its first Mid-South Conference East Division title and made its first NAIA FCS postseason appearance, posting its first NAIA FCS playoff victory. That year, the Blue Raider defense set a new school record for most interceptions (29) and sacks (33.5) while recording a nation-best 45 takeways. Gutelius was selected as a finalist for the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

Gutelius also served as the program's community and outreach coordinator and in 2014, the team received the Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Team Award at the AFCA Convention.

Prior to Lindsey Wilson, Gutelius spent six seasons as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Concord University in West Virginia from 2003-08. While there, he also developed, organized and managed the team's academic success program.

Gutelius was the defensive ends coach at Wingate University from 2001-02 after stints as an assistant coach at the University of La Verne (1999-2000), St. Norbert College (1996-99) and Catholic (1992-93).

Gutelius graduated from Catholic in 1992 with a major in politics and a minor in philosophy. He went on to earn his master's degree in education with a special emphasis in athletic educational issues from La Verne in 2001. He and his wife, Kimberly, have three children, Michael, Sam and Mary Katherine.