After 35 years, Bethel football coach Steve Johnson has decided to retire

Johnson retires as one of the most accomplished NCAA Division III coaches of all time, and he has pulled in no shortage of team or individual accolades. His Royals take on No.5 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater today in the opening round of the Division III playoffs.

He ranks 15th all time in wins by a coach in Division III and 35th among the entire NCAA. The Bethel program has been consistently competitive for more than two decades, with the last sub-.500 season being back in 1993. The 1993 season was one of only two seasons that Bethel finished below .500 during Johnson’s tenure as head coach, with the other being Johnson’s first season in 1989.

Overall, Bethel went 244-108-1 under Johnson.

Over three decades’ worth of winning seasons is no small feat for a program, never mind for a single coach. When asked about what made him and the program so successful over the course of his career, Johnson attributed it to the team’s ability and priority to stay consistent.

“Every week, you’re just trying to go 1-0,” he said. “We have expectations for each other. We want to have a good foundation and identity, and we’ve stayed aligned with who we are. We want to be strong defensively, and we want to run the ball.”

Johnson won five Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference  championships  at Bethel, going back to back in 2000 and 2001 as well as 2006 and 2007, and winning the fifth in 2013. Making the playoffs 11 times since 2000, Bethel posted a 13-11 record in the playoffs under Johnson and made the Elite 8 in five of those seasons (2007, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2022).

On top of leading the program to many successful seasons, Johnson was individually recognized and given many prestigious coaching awards. He was MIAC Coach of the Year six times, and was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III National Coach of the Year in 2022. He was named the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Man of the Year in 2011, and was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

Johnon said it was the people that made the job so special.

“It’s an intense profession, and you have this huge appreciation for all the guys, the coaching staff and players,” he said. “I feel really blessed to have the people I’ve had. Very thankful and very blessed.”

Johnson played football at Bethel from 1974-77 and had several coaching jobs between his graduation from Bethel and getting the position as Bethel’s head coach in 1989.

Making the decision to retire is not always an easy one, especially when it’s from something you’ve played or coached almost your entire life. Johnson said it wasn’t the only thing to consider, but that his family played a large role in the decision he made.

“A lot went into it, but it’s a family thing,” he said. “I’m 68 years old. I’d rather go early than stay too late. It’s important, though, that we find someone to keep things rolling the way they have been.”

Regardless of who takes the spot of head coach, it’s safe to say Bethel won’t find another like Steve Johnson for a while.