After a career of 45 years at Andover, Michael Kuta, Head Athletic Trainer and Instructor in Physical Education and Wellness, will retire this spring. Kuta came to the Athletic Department in 1980 and worked as an Athletic Trainer during his time at Andover. Additionally, Kuta was the Director of Athletics from 2007 to 2014 and served as a day student advisor and complementary house counselor.
Kuta discovered Andover through his college’s co-op education program and was immediately driven to support students by working in the school’s athletic facilities. Taking on various responsibilities and roles, Kuta recognized the learning opportunities Andover had to offer.
“I didn’t know much about boarding schools until I was invited to Deerfield Academy. My first introduction was when I visited [the school] for an event, and I was intrigued by that. Then, I went to Northeastern, and then Phillips Academy was on this list… I knew it was a place [where I] could grow as an athletic trainer and athletics was taken seriously. That was immediately evident and I wanted to be part of that environment,” said Kuta.
Kuta has left a lasting legacy on Andover’s athletics and wellbeing programs, serving as a role model for faculty. Lisa Joel, Director of Athletics, highlighted the qualities that made Kuta an irreplaceable member of the Andover community.
“What makes Mike so special is his ability to connect with everyone. Mike treats everyone with kindness and sees their value to a team or to decision-making. Whether it is a member of the custodial staff, the grounds crew, folks in the dining hall — Mike offers the biggest smile. He understands how we are all inextricably linked to make a really incredible community. We need more people like Mike. He also could be a bit of a legend in that way too. We should not forget how good he was [at] that,” said Joel.
She continued, “His legacy will be a legacy of kindness, a legacy of selflessness, a legacy of caring so deeply for young people [and] for our sports program.”
Joel also noted how Kuta worked to improve every aspect of the Andover experience in and out of athletics. Joel described how, as a former Director of Athletics, Kuta’s mindset positively impacted all students who participated in athletics.
“Over [Mike’s] time, what has changed significantly is the multi-sport athlete to the more single sport athlete or the dual sport athlete. Mike has been a champion of trying to always put wellbeing first. He is a champion of, as a male athletic director and athletic trainer, equity and thinking about all aspects of the program, everyone who participates, [so] that everyone feels they’re on equal footing,” said Joel.
Joel continued, “Mike does not want us to lose sight of the power of what teams at their very best can do for individuals. He is a champion of the teacher-coach model, the math teacher who is your lacrosse coach, the history teacher who’s your track coach. Mr. Kuta understands because of his tenure that athletics is just another classroom. Often those who understand it best are those who work in all of the spaces: the dormitories, the classrooms. He will never want us to lose sight of how important that is for young people’s success on teams.”
Kuta notably taught lessons about sleep to students in Physical Education classes. Throughout his time at Andover, Kuta valued sleep as a crucial aspect of student wellness, prioritizing this topic in his instruction.
“I was on this committee that did dormitory-based education back in the day, and one of the things that kept coming up was how tired kids were. Then that led to conversations in the training room,” said Kuta.
He continued, “I took it on as a mini mission. I started talking about sleep. I did a lot of research on sleep, a lot of reading on sleep. Of course, everyone knows you’re interested in sleep, and they send you all kinds of information. But that’s one of the things we all could do better. It would help our community in so many ways if we just allow ourselves to sleep.”
Kuta shared some of his plans for his retirement, offering advice to those who may have similar ideas in the future. Kuta emphasized the importance of living large as a proactive approach to life.
“I plan to live large. I always tell the kids, it’s really important to live large. Not only go for things in life, but also be healthy enough so you can do things, keep moving. All these [are] things that I talk about with the kids in my advisory, and PE classes, and so on,” said Kuta. “My main passions and pursuits — I want to do a lot of fly fishing, outdoor activities, hiking, camping, and that type of thing. You have to be able to live large to really enjoy those things.”
