Bethel University announced Tuesday that Mike McElroy will become the Royal’s 15th football coach, succeeding longtime head coach Steve Johnson.

McElroy has been Bethel’s defensive coordinator since 2017, and has coached at the high school DI, DII and DIII levels. In the Cities, he worked with the Gophers’ defense in 2014 and 2015, and spent a year as defensive coordinator with Concordia-St. Paul before coming to Bethel.

Johnson, who has been head coach at Bethel for 34 seasons, announced his retirement last October. He transformed the school’s football program, leading the team to 11 NCAA playoffs since 2000 and ending the past 29 seasons with a winning record. He was named the national DIII coach of the year in 2022 by the American Football Coaches Association.

“I’m thrilled that Mike McElroy will be the next head coach of the Bethel football program,” Bethel’s Director of Athletics Greg Peterson said, crediting McElroy’s defense with helping Bethel make three NCAA playoff runs and notch their sixth MIAC championship.