In January, Mike McElroy was hired as the 15th head coach in Bethel University football’s program history – but only the second in the last 36 seasons.

McElroy succeeds Steve Johnson, who retired after his 35th season at Bethel last fall.

Click the video box to watch KSTP Sports’ Chris Long chat with new Bethel Royals head football coach Mike McElroy

McElroy had been an assistant under Johnson for the past seven seasons. He also coached at Concordia-St. Paul and was an assistant under Jerry Kill at the University of Minnesota in 2014 and 2015.

In college, McElroy was part of Kill’s final recruiting class at the University of Southern Illinois. In 2010, McElroy was a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the national player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

McElroy grew up in Lowell, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.

Bethel went 10-3 last season (7-1 MIAC), won the MIAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA D-III Playoffs.