For Kathy Andel, supporting Northern Michigan University student-athletes was more than a tradition. It was a way of life. Through a scholarship established in her memory, her family hopes to ensure that the care, encouragement and unwavering loyalty she shared with generations of Wildcats will continue for years to come.
“If she was there, you knew it,” said her daughter, Chrissy Noreika. “She was always supportive, passionate, giving and caring. She wanted to know about people and their life experiences. She wanted to help people.”
Known to student-athletes as “Mama Hans” and “Grandma,” Kathy spent more than 25 years showing up for NMU games, practices, and the young people she came to cherish. Her dedication was especially evident in her remarkable streak of attending every NMU home football game for 27 consecutive years.
Her son, Hans Andel, a 2007 NMU graduate, first introduced her to NMU athletics when he joined the football program as a student equipment manager in 1999. She began attending practices, meeting the players and building connections that grew into lifelong relationships. Eventually, she became a familiar fixture in her front-row seat on the 50-yard line, cheering on the Wildcats in her signature green and gold.
But Kathy's support extended far beyond the bleachers. She welcomed players into her home for Sunday dinners, made homemade cinnamon rolls for the team before road trips and baked hundreds of cookies for the locker room after games. She also helped with laundry, celebrated players' birthdays and holidays, and offered the comfort of family to students far from home. International student-athletes even affectionately called her their “American grandma.”
“She started this journey as a team mom, and it evolved over the years into the team grandma,” Hans said. “The players really appreciated all that she did. Especially the incoming freshman - it helped having someone watch out for them when they were away from home for the first time.”
Her dedication earned her the 2020 Lindsay Griffith and Todd “Stix” Honch Fan of the Year award from Wildcat Athletics. But recognition was never what motivated Kathy. She simply wanted to be there for the people she cared about.
Those relationships endured long after the players graduated. At Kathy’s funeral, one former NMU football player traveled through a snowstorm to honor a promise he had made years earlier to serve as a pallbearer.
“He was there for her because she was there for him,” Chrissy said.
Kathy’s dedication to NMU was unwavering, even when her health made it difficult to attend. A week before the home opener in 2025, she suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in intensive care. Still, she was determined to make it to the game.
“She was begging the doctors to let her out in time for the Thursday night game,” Hans said. “She had to be there to cheer on the ’Cats. And she was, as long as she promised the doctors she wouldn’t get too carried away with her cheering.”
Kathy’s compassion was rooted in her own experiences and the values instilled in her growing up. Her family believed in helping others, sharing what they had and standing up for those who needed support. She also understood the challenges of pursuing an education while supporting a family.
After deciding to change careers, Kathy applied for NMU’s radiography program in 1987. Initially the first alternate, she received a call just before classes began that a spot had opened. With two young children at home in Calumet, she packed a suitcase, brought $40 with her, and headed to Marquette, uncertain where she would stay. Her mother helped make it possible, encouraging her to pursue the opportunity.
Kathy lived on her GI Bill benefits, returned home on weekends, and balanced school with family responsibilities.
“She showed us what it was like to have nothing and still work to achieve your goals and better yourself,” Chrissy said.
Established in 2026 through gifts from family and friends, the Kathleen E. Andel Memorial Scholarship honors Kathy’s legacy by providing lasting scholarship support to NMU student-athletes. The fund awards one $2,500 scholarship annually to an undergraduate student competing on an official NMU athletics team.
For her children, the scholarship is a way to ensure the community their mother helped build continues to thrive.
“I couldn’t see it ending with her,” Chrissy said. “She did so much good for so many people. We want to ease financial pressure for student-athletes, giving them peace of mind and more time to focus on academics, athletics and their futures.”
Beyond financial support, the family hopes recipients will understand the values Kathy embodied: working hard, living in the moment and treating others with kindness.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, you can make a difference in this world,” Chrissy said. “You can make a difference in anyone’s life by being who you are and being kind.”
While Kathy spent decades showing up for NMU students, her family says those students showed up for her, too. Teams sent thank-you messages, players celebrated her birthday and cheerleaders brought pom-poms to her funeral to honor someone who had become part of their family.
“She didn’t do it for recognition,” Chrissy said. “She did it to help people and be there for others.”
For the Andel family, the scholarship represents the continuation of that mutual care—a way for Kathy’s legacy to live on through the students she loved and the people they will one day support.
“It’s a domino effect,” Chrissy said. “If that can continue, that’s what our family wants to see. Continuing to support students, and remember that it started with her.”
Through the Kathleen E. Andel Memorial Scholarship, Kathy will continue to show up for Wildcats, helping student-athletes pursue their goals and reminding them that someone believes in them. To contribute to the Kathleen E. Andel Memorial Scholarship and help to keep Kathy’s legacy alive, click here.