Mike McElroy is in his third season as Bethel University head football coach in 2026 after being
named to the role on January 9, 2024. This came after serving as the Royals defensive coordinator for seven seasons prior under legendary head coach Steve Johnson. Bethel's defense under McElroy has been a dynamic, play making unit ranking among the MIAC and national leaders in many categories.
AT BETHEL
• Career record of 23-4 entering third season as head coach
• 2025 MIAC Football Coach of the Year
• Led Bethel to NCAA quarterfinals in each of his first two seasons as head coach
• Royals won 2026 MIAC Football Championship with third undefeated regular season in program history
• Led nation in scoring offense (.474) in 2025
• Finished among the nation's top five teams in eight different categories in 2025
• Led nation in interceptions (24), sacks (66), and turnovers gained (38) in 2024
• Led the MIAC in nine defensive categories in 2023 while finishing fifth in interceptions (21), and second nationally in red zone defense (42.3 percent)
• Third in the MIAC in interceptions (12) in 2022
• Led the MIAC in interceptions (19), and finished second in scoring defense, total defense, and pass defense in 2021
• Led the MIAC in scoring defense (13.5), finished second in both total defense (278.6) rush defense (90.2), and third in sacks (34) and interceptions (13) in 2019
• Led the MIAC in sacks and defensive touchdowns (6), and finished second in total defense, rushing defense, and interceptions in 2018
• 15 consecutive games over the 2018-2019 seasons of holding opposing quarterbacks below their season completion percentage
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AS HEAD COACH
• Six D3football.com All-Americans & AP All-Americans
• Four AFCA All-Americans
• 16 All-Region honorees
• 36 All-MIAC selections
•Wide Receiver Albert Rundell 2025 Accolades
•November 10 MIAC Offensive Player of the Week
•D3football.com Team of the Week (Week 10)
•MIAC Football All-Conference Offense
•D3football.com All-Region First Team Offense
•Gagliardi Trophy Finalist
•AFCA All-America First Team Offense
•AP All-America First Team Offense
•D3football.com All-America First Team Offense
•Division III Football Statistical National Champion (1597 Receiving Yards)
•Safety Devin Williams 2025 Accolades
•MIAC Defensive Player of the Year
•MIAC Football All-Conference Defense
•AFCA Good Works Team
•October 6 MIAC Defensive Player of the Week
•November 17 MIAC Special Teams Player of the Week
•D3football.com Team of the Week (Week 5)
•D3football.com All-Region First Team Defense
•AFCA All-America First Team Defense
•AP All-America First Team Defense
•D3football.com All-America First Team Defense
• Safety Matt Jung 2024 Accolades
• D3football.com Defensive Player of the Year
• Cliff Harris Award Winner
• AP Defensive Player of the Year
• MIAC Defensive Player of the Year
• Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist
• D3football.com All-American
• AFCA All-American
• D3football.com Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year
• D3football.com All-Region
• Caden DeWall
• MIAC Mike Stam Lineman of the Year (2024)
• Led the nation in sacks (21.5) and tackles for loss (28.5) in 2024
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AS ASSISTANT COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
• Safety Matt Feldick a two-time All-MIAC honoree (2021, 2022) and Third Team All-Region in 2022
• Safety Nate Farm named a 2021 AFCA First Team All-American
• Farm and cornerback Tavian Swanson named D3football.com First Team All-Region in 2021
• Safety Dawson Brown named a First Team AFCA All-American in 2018
• Defensive End Kyle Kilgore named a Second Team AFCA All-American in 2018
• Brown named Second Team D3Football.com All West Region safety in 2017
• Kilgore named Third Team D3Football.com All West Region defensive end in 2017
• Brown (Atlanta Falcons) and Kilgore (Minnesota Vikings) were both invited to NFL Rookie Minicamps in spring of 2019
• 17 First Team MIAC All-Conference selections as an assistant coach
• Nine Second Team MIAC All-Conference selections in four seasons
BEFORE BETHEL
• Defensive Coordinator at NCAA DII Concordia-St. Paul in 2016, helping CSP lower both their total yards allowed and total points surrendered from the previous season
• Two-year assistant under Jerry Kill at the University of Minnesota from 2014-15
• Helped the Gophers defense rank No. 18 in 2014 and No. 11 in 2015 in pass defense among all FBS programs
• Minnesota improved from No. 39 to No. 24 in total yards allowed during his two-year term.
PLAYING CAREER
• Starting strong safety and two-year captain for the Southern Illinois Salukis
• Two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team pick
• Candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award (national player of the year) in 2010
PERSONAL
• Lives in St. Paul with wife Austyn and sons Asa, Ira and Caius.
