The Bethel Royals football program represents Bethel University of Arden Hills, Minnesota in college football. Bethel competes at the NCAA Division III level as members of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The head coach of the Royals is Mike McElroy, who has held the position since 2024.
| Bethel Royals football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1947 |
| Athletic director | Greg Peterson |
| Head coach | Mike McElroy 1st season, 2–1 (.667) |
| Stadium | Royal Stadium (capacity: 8,000) |
| Year built | 1995 |
| Field surface | Turf |
| Location | Arden Hills, Minnesota |
| Conference | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) |
| All-time record | 360–332–7 (.520) |
| Playoff appearances | (12) 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Playoff record | 13-10 |
| Conference titles | (6) 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2023 |
| Consensus All-Americans | 18 |
| Colors | Navy blue and gold[1] |
| Website | bethelroyalsfb |
Bethel plays its home games at Royal Stadium, located on the campus in Arden Hills, Minnesota. Royal Stadium was built in 1995 and renovated in 2001 and 2021.
History
editBethel has had 14 head coaches since organized football started in 1947 adopting the nickname "Royals". The winningest coach in program history is Steve Johnson with a 244–107–1 career record. He is currently ranked #38 in all time wins as a head coach in NCAA college football. On April 2, 2016, he was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
Their biggest conference rival is St. John's University. Bethel defeated #2 ranked St. John's 28-24 on September 24, 2022 in Arden Hills. Bethel finished the 2022 season ranked #5 in the country. Bethel won 7 of the 8 meetings against St. John's between 2006 and 2013.
Bethel has won 6 MIAC conference championships (2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2023). Bethel has appeared in 12 NCAA playoff appearances (2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023). Bethel has appeared in 2 Division III Final Four Playoffs (2007, 2010).
| Name | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Nelson | 1963 | Running Back |
| Rey Sheperd | 1963 | Lineman |
| Kevin Hallstrom | 1976 | Defensive Back |
| Trent Anderson | 1990 | Quarterback |
| Jack Negren | 1990 | Wide Receiver |
| Vincent Hooper | 1993 | Wide Receiver |
| Jeremy Tvedt | 1996 | Running Back |
| Chico Rowland | 1999 | Offensive Tackle |
| Ben Matthews | 2000 | Cornerback |
| Mike Johnson | 2001 | Running Back |
| Phil Porta | 2006 | Running Back |
| Brandon Carr | 2007 | Defensive Back |
| Seth Mathis | 2012, 2013 | Linebacker |
| Dawson Brown | 2018 | Defensive Back |
| Kyle Kilgore | 2018 | Defensive End |
| Nate Farm | 2021 | Defensive Back |
| Travis Sinclair | 2022 | Offensive Line |
| Name | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Runyan | 1998 | Wide Receiver |
| Chico Rowland | 1999 | Outside Linebacker |
| Josh Gingerich | 2002 | Outside Linebacker |
| Matt Wassink | 2004 | Linebacker |
| A.J. Parnell | 2005 | Quarterback |
| Reid Velo | 2009 | Wide Receiver |
| J.D. Mehlhorn | 2013 | Safety |
| Joshua Perkins | 2014 | Offensive Tackle |
| Matt Mehlhorn | 2015 | Defensive Back |
| Drew Neuville | 2016 | Tight End |
| Josh Dalki | 2017 | Inside Linebacker |
| Kyle Kilgore | 2018 | Defensive End |
| Danny Muñoz | 2019 | Offensive Line |
| Mike Delich | 2020 | Linebacker/Running Back |
| Jaran Roste | 2021 | Quarterback |
| Matthew Feldick | 2022 | Defensive Back |
| Evan Ginter | 2023 | Offensive Line |
Hall of Fame
edit| Name | Year of Graduation | Position |
| Rey Sheperd | 1962 | Offensive Tackle |
| Jim Nelson | 1964 | Running Back |
| Duane Gibson | 1966 | Linebacker |
| Don Land | 1966 | Running Back |
| Al Selander | 1967 | Quarterback |
| Terry Karlsgodt | 1975 | Linebacker |
| Willie Gardner | 1976 | Running Back |
| Craig Hansen | 1976 | Offensive Tackle |
| Kevin Hallstrom | 1977 | Defensive Back |
| John Holine | 1977 | Quarterback |
| Kim Walker | 1977 | Wide Receiver |
| Mike Anderson | 1978 | Linebacker |
| Ken Cooper | 1982 | Wide Receiver |
| Jimmy Miller | 1983 | Defensive Back |
| Bryan Johnson | 1984 | Wide Receiver |
| Trent Anderson | 1991 | Quarterback |
| Chub Reynolds | Head Coach |
Source:[3]
- Head Coach: Steve Johnson
- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Collin Duling
- Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs: Mike McElroy
- Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator: Chad Richards
- Defensive Line: Brady Bomsta
- Linebackers/Special Teams: Kyle Kilgore
- Running Backs/Video Coordinator: Paul Swan
- Outside Linebackers: Tyler Krebs
- Cornerbacks: Brooks Byrd
- Wide Receivers: Matt Houston
- Offensive Assistant: Eric Tulberg
- Matt Eller, Defensive Line (2002) – Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers
- Cory Svihla, Linebacker (2010) – Minnesota Vikings
- Mitch Elliot, Offensive Tackle (2011) – Minnesota Vikings
- Seth Mathis, Linebacker (2013) – Minnesota Vikings
- Mitch Hallstrom, Wide receiver (2013) – Minnesota Vikings
- Dawson Brown, Defensive Back (2019) - Atlanta Falcons
- Kyle Kilgore, Defensive Line (2019) – Minnesota Vikings
- Travis Sinclair, Offensive Line (2022) - Minnesota Vikings
References
edit- ^ "BETHEL UNIVERSITY BRAND GUIDELINES" (PDF). Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ "Good Works Team".
- ^ "Friedlund, Treimer Receive Capital One Academic All-District First Team Award". Bethel University Athletics. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "2022 Football Roster". Bethel University Athletics.