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 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.
Bethel has had 15 head coaches since organized football started in 1947 adopting the nickname "Royals". The winningest coach in program history was Steve Johnson with a 252âÂÂ110âÂÂ1 career record. He is ranked No. 33 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. He retired after the 2023 season.
Mike McElroy was named the head football coach for the 2024 season. McElroy served as the Royalsâ defensive coordinator for the previous seven years after joining the program in 2017.
Bethel's biggest conference rival is Saint John's University. Bethel defeated the No. 4 ranked St. John's 17-10 in 2025 in Arden Hills. Bethel defeated No. 2 ranked Saint John's 28âÂÂ24 on September 24, 2022 in Arden Hills. Bethel finished the 2022 season ranked No. 5 in the country. Bethel won 7 of the 8 meetings against Saint John's between 2006 and 2013.
Bethel has won 7 MIAC conference championships (2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2023, 2025). Bethel has appeared in 14 NCAA playoff appearances (2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). Bethel's deepest playoff run was appearing in the NCAA Division III playoff semifinals (2007, 2010).
The Royals have made fifteen appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 20âÂÂ15.