Join us for “Rock Reflections,” a series celebrating Trinity alumni. From 48 states to countries worldwide, our graduates are making an impact, and we'll share their stories on Trinity's website and social media.
This week, we’re reflecting with Mike Guetig '72
For many Trinity basketball and football fans, Mike Guetig ’72 is the man behind the microphone. He’s been the public address announcer for thousands of games.
In 1980, Mike was at a grade school basketball game at Trinity when the announcer asked him to write out the lineups for the next game while he made a phone call. The guy never came back, and Mike became the public address announcer for Catholic School Athletic Association football and basketball games played at Trinity. He began announcing the annual Toy Bowl the same year and then began announcing Trinity football and basketball games in 1985, taking over for veteran announcer Gene Lennart.
Mike’s announcing skills brought him to the microphone at Trinity’s Wednesday Night Bingo from 1986 until its final season in 1999. It is estimated that Mike called more than 600 Wednesday nights of bingo, or more than 13,000 individual bingo games. Also at Trinity, Mike was president of the Trinity Booster Club in 1988-89 and 1990-91.
In 1994, Mike was tapped to be the time clock and scoreboard operator for University of Louisville football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball games, which he has done for 36 years. He’s also run the clocks and scoreboards for Bellarmine University’s men’s and women s basketball games for 30 years.
Additionally, Mike served as the clock and scoreboard operator for the Louisville Invitational Tournament and the Louisville Fire Arena2 football games, and as the public address announcer for the adidas Derby Festival Basketball Classic and the Kentucky-Indiana boys’ and girls’ All-Star games.
Life at Trinity
Mike came to Trinity from St. Leonard Catholic School.
“Attending Trinity was a mutual decision between my parents and me,” Mike said. “Ballard High School opened in 1968. My neighborhood was right inside the boundaries of Ballard and Waggener. While I was a decent student, I also had girls on the brain. But my parents said they would rather I go to Trinity. I figured that was okay, as I still had Sacred Heart, Assumption and Mercy to meet girls. It turned out to be a great decision. I was also aware of Trinity’s excellent reputation. As well some of my St. Leonard classmates were planning to attend Trinity, and they encouraged me to sign up with them.”
As a Trinity student, he was a regular at the Trinity-Sacred Heart Academy bowling matches on Friday afternoons and a member of the German and Pep clubs and Air Force Junior ROTC. He also was a cheerleader for two years.
Mike remembers daily life at Trinity as interesting.
“In the early ’70s, we didn’t have the block schedule like there is now, but the classes were always very structured and none of us could just slide through and get a good grade,” Mike said. “You had to continually pay attention during class and keep up with assignments and daily homework. If you participated in after-school activities or an athletic team, you had to put your best into all of those, too. I was always impressed back then with the guys in my classes who could keep up with class assignments and then still make any of the athletic teams and excel in those also.”
One of Mike’s pivotal Trinity experiences was Air Force Junior ROTC. Three of his favorite classes his four years were ROTC classes – aviation, space, and meteorology. Mike follows those fields to this day.
“Also with ROTC, one of my favorite memories is from 1971 when we took a field trip during spring break to spend a week at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral) and Patrick Air Force Base, which are virtually right next door to each other. The Air Force put us all up at the Visiting Officers' Quarters on base and then shuttled us all around the base and the Cape for a multitude of behind-the-scenes tours and instruction. It was one of the most interesting weeks of my life!”
Rolling strikes
Mike is proud of his involvement with the early days of the Trinity bowling program.
“One of my classmates, Pat Arnold, and I worked to re-start the Trinity Bowling League in our junior year as an intramural activity and then work with Trinity’s and Sacred Heart’s administrations during the summer between our junior/senior years (and with both of their blessings) to merge the two leagues under the auspices of the American Junior Bowling Congress to make the new league official in the national organization. This was before the sport of bowling was officially recognized by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association as it is now with competitive matches and state championships. But the league was a huge hit back then and filled Ten Pin Lanes every Friday after school for a number of years until it kind of slackened off and the current version of the Trinity Bowling Team was re-formed and became state champions several times.
“The best part of our old version of the Trinity/SHA league is that's the place I met my future wife, Margie!” Mike continued. “She graduated from SHA in 1973.”
Mike’s teachers were instrumental in his Trinity experience.
“They each had their various styles of teaching, but you could always tell that all of them were so interested in making sure their students learned and excelled in the subjects they were teaching. A few of my favorite teachers were Father Kevin Caster [H’93], Father Dave Zettel [’58], Gene Eckert [’62] and Bob Hublar [H’03].”
After graduating from Trinity, Mike attended Bellarmine University for two years before transferring to the University of Louisville, where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1976. During his Trinity years and college years, Mike also worked at the Kroger store on Lexington Road, which is currently a CVS store.
The day after graduating from U of L, Mike entered the manager training program at Kroger and was a co-manager for several years. Mike then went to work for Nabisco for 20 years followed by stints at national food brokers for a few years. He retired from Keurig Dr. Pepper after almost 18 years with the company.
Retired as he may be from his day jobs, Mike remains active running clocks and scoreboards for Trinity basketball and football games, as well as Bellarmine and U of L.
“Other than my marriage and helping my wife raise our three kids, I can say that Trinity was the best and most enjoyable time of my youth,” Mike said. “I look back now and am so thankful that my parents made the decision and put out the tuition to secure me a Trinity diploma!”
Mike is also a donor to the Trinity Annual Fund for financial aid. Over 43 percent of Trinity students receive financial aid, so it’s crucial to many families.
‘I believe in Trinity’s mission’
“I still support Trinity because I believe in Trinity’s mission to form men of faith and men of character and hope to see as many young men get the chance to graduate with a Trinity diploma as possible,” Mike said.
Over the decades, Mike has served as a Class Agent, Alumni Board member and Alumni Phonathon caller. He was inducted into the Trinity Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mike and Margie have been married for almost 50 years. They are active members of the Church of the Holy Spirit. He has served three terms on the Parish Council and as a Eucharistic minister and usher. Mike and Margie also have served as a sponsor couple in the engaged couples program.
Mike and Margie have three children – Chris (Trinity, 1997), Linda (Sacred Heart, 2000) and Lauren (Sacred Heart, 2004) – and six grandchildren. Mike’s cousins Atlas and Owen Huecker will be Trinity freshmen in August.
Share an alumni story!
Do you know a Trinity alumnus with a compelling story? Please reach out to Travis Wagoner '90, Alumni Relations & Communications, at 502-736-2122 or wagoner@trinityrocks.com.
A History of Greatness
Since 1953, Trinity has benefitted from great teachers, resources, and activities to shape and guide promising boys into great men. The 106 students from our first graduating class have been followed by a legacy of academic, personal and cultural achievement. To learn more about our proud heritage, visit https://www.trinityrocks.com/o/trinityfoundation/page/about-us.
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