GETTYSBURG, Pa. – More than 34 years after rejoining his alma mater in the athletic training room, Mike Cantele '88 is retiring from Gettysburg.

Cantele, who arrived for the first time in Gettysburg as an undergraduate in 1984, has led the department as Director of Athletic Medicine and Sport Performance for the last 16 years.

During his undergraduate years, Cantele learned the trade from long-time athletic trainer and Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor member Lefty Biser '57.

After his graduation with a degree in health and physical education, Cantele went on to earn a master's from Old Dominion in 1990. During his time there, he served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at nearby Norfolk State before spending time as an intern athletic trainer in the National Football League with the New England Patriots.

Cantele rejoined the Bullets staff in 1990 as an assistant athletic trainer after one of his other mentors, Joe Donolli was promoted to head athletic trainer.

Over the next nearly two decades, the duo was synonymous with athletic training and sports medicine at Gettysburg College. As the landscape of college athletics was changing so was the transformation in the athletic training room. A concrete emergency action plan was developed including a requirement for all coaches and staff members to be certified in first aid and CPR.

"Mike Cantele is synonymous with athletic training at Gettysburg College," Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation Mike Mattia said. "He has carried on the great work established by Lefty Biser and Joe Donolli, who were Mike's mentors during his 33 ½ years with us. Mike has always prioritized the health, safety, and wellbeing of the thousands of Gettysburg student-athletes he has attended to over his tenure. He has also done a phenomenal job during his career adopting the latest advancements in the field, and has always been a big proponent of using the latest in sports science and sports performance to either help prevent injury and/or help our injured student-athletes return to practices and competitions sooner. Mike approaches every day with compassion for our student-athletes, and he has always understood how behavioral health is connected to physical health. Mike is someone who bleeds Orange and Blue, and truly understands that every day is a great day to be a Bullet.  He will surely be missed and definitely leaves behind a legacy that will be hard to be matched."

After 18 years as the elder statesman and mentor, Donolli stepped down as head athletic trainer in 2008, Cantele took the reins to become just the fourth individual to lead the athletic training staff.  His first big project was overseeing the renovation and design of the state-of-the-art 3500 sg ft. Athletic Training Center. The space remains one of the best clinics in Division III.

Cantele has overseen countless innovations during his time, responding to and staying at the forefront of countless changes to the industry. As the position became more encompassing a title change to Director of Athletic Medicine and Sports Performance along with the Health Care Administrator for Athletics title more accurately represented the work that Cantele has performed.

It's not just the innovations that tell the interwoven story of Mike Cantele and his impact on Gettysburg Athletics. He has had the opportunity to be a part of much more and seen it all from the sidelines.

One of those greatest opportunities was spending the spring on the women's lacrosse sidelines, working alongside his wife and longtime women's lacrosse head coach, Carol Cantele. He had a front-row view for 13 Centennial Conference women's lacrosse championships. He was there to witness – and celebrate – national championships in 2011, 2017 and 2018. He was always there to make sure players were at the best physically to be able to represent the Bullets in those championship moments and to offer words of encouragement, or maybe even correction when needed.

"Mike has been at Gettysburg for 34 years and has been working with women's lacrosse for a large portion of that time," current head women's lacrosse coach Charlotte Cunningham said. "He's been on the sidelines for three national championships, numerous conference championships, and most importantly, has treated and mentored hundreds of women's lacrosse players during that time. I cannot express how integral his role has been in our program's success and the positive impact he's had on so many athletes. He will be dearly missed, and we are so incredibly grateful for his care, commitment, and the selflessness he embodies daily. He's been a true servant leader to Gettysburg College, our athletic department, and our athletes."

Nearly every other athlete who has donned the Orange and Blue during Cantele's tenure could echo the same sentiments.

Cantele – and his entire staff – played a crucial role in the story of former men's basketball player Cory Weissman '12. A promising basketball player, Weissman suffered a catastrophic, life-threatening stroke at the end of his freshman year leaving him paralyzed on the left side. The Gettysburg athletic training staff played an important role throughout, from responding quickly to the initial stroke to spending countless hours of rehabilitation with Weissman.

That serves as one example – albeit to the extreme – of the work Cantele has done for countless Bullets over the years.

"Mike has not only been a massive part of the college and athletic department but he has been an integral part of our Bullets Soccer Family for the last 17 years," head women's soccer coach Matt Garrett said. "Mike's passion and love for the athletes is undeniable and the care he shows for every single player on our team resonates with us all. Mike is a colleague but most importantly a friend who has always been there for myself and my daughters. Mike is a wonderful athletic trainer but more importantly an even better person who we will all miss greatly. Thank you, Mike!"

It's not just Gettysburg athletes who have benefited over the years from Cantele's expertise. In 2007, he was named the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Elite Team Athletic Trainer. The Elite team forms the nucleus for the U.S. national team that competes in the World Cup every four years and also has numerous competitions each year, highlighted by the Champions Challenge each January and the Stars & Stripes Weekend each fall. Cantele was a major component of the team's successful run to the gold medal in 2009 and was given the Heart of Lacrosse Award, presented by each team to an individual who made a significant contribution to their experience at the event. Cantele continued his role as the national team's athletic trainer through the 2013 World Cup.

And, now in his retirement from Gettysburg and college athletics, Cantele's expertise, compassion, and care will be felt by a broader range of people.

Beginning in November, he has been charged with bringing his wealth of sports medicine knowledge to the field of Industrial Medicine in the Central PA region.

The job will take him into professions that are prone to many of the same injuries suffered by athletes and assist with their rehabilitative and preventive care.

While it will mean an active retirement for Mike, it also means that he won't be going far. He'll now be able to join Carol, who retired from coaching following the 2022 season, as a staple in the stands cheering on the Orange and Blue.

But the less hectic schedule will also mean the ability to spend more time with family including two grandchildren at the beach and traveling. And, of course, more time on the golf course and pickleball courts.