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Five named Gagliardi finalists
December 18, 2025Out of 15 semifinalists, we whittled it down to five on Thursday: three quarterbacks, a wide receiver and a running back. One of these five will win the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, Division III football's top honor. -
Drews draws on experience in second season
December 11, 2025Bethel quarterback Cooper Drews made a splashy debut as a starter last year with big passing numbers for the Royals. But this year, those numbers haven't gotten bigger; they've gotten better. Greg Thomas explores this in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.
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No. 3 Royals advance to D-III Quarterfinal with win vs. Pioneers
December 06, 2025Bethel advances to the 2025 NCAA Division III Football Championship Quarterfinal following a 35-24 victory over UW-Platteville in the third round at Royal Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Royals will be making their second-straight, and seventh overall appearance in the D-III quarterfinal.
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Gagliardi Trophy semifinalists announced
December 05, 2025Dozens of players were nominated but 15 make it to the semifinal stage. Who are they? Check out the players, then cast your fan ballot for the top all-around student-athlete in Division III football.
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Bethel has offense royally humming
November 07, 2024In just nine weeks, Cooper Drews has re-set the Bethel passing touchdown record and Joey Kidder looks like his 2022 All-American self at wide receiver. It's a new era for the Royals offense and Greg Thomas has more in Around the Nation.
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Bethel promotes Johnson's assistant
January 09, 2024Mike McElroy, Bethel's defensive coordinator since 2017, will be the Royals' next head coach. He replaces Steve Johnson, who retired after 35 seasons at the helm.
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Bethel Headed to Third Straight MIAC Championship Game with 31-14 Win Over Concordia
November 04, 2023For the third consecutive season the Bethel University football team is headed to the MIAC Championship game finishing undefeated in the Skyline Division with a 31-14 win over Concordia Saturday afternoon at Royal Stadium.
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D-III's active wins leader to retire
October 30, 2023Steve Johnson, head football coach at Bethel for 34 seasons, has announced that this will be his last. The announcement comes on the heels of him winning his 250th career game, tops among active D-III football coaches.
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Johnson Captures 250th Career Win in Royals 40-0 Defeat of Carleton
October 28, 2023In his 35th season at the helm of the Bethel University football program, head coach Steve Johnson captured his 250th career win with the Royals 40-0 defeat of Carleton Saturday afternoon in Northfield.
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Bolt Has Career Day in Bethel's 49-7 Win over Hamline
October 21, 2023Senior quarterback George Bolt threw for a career-high 271 yards on 20-of-28 throwing while adding a career-high three rushing touchdowns as the Bethel University football team landed a 49-7 win over Hamline.
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Bolt Has Career Day in Bethel's 49-7 Win over Hamline
October 21, 2023Senior quarterback George Bolt threw for a career-high 271 yards on 20-of-28 throwing while adding a career-high three rushing touchdowns as the Bethel University football team landed a 49-7 win over Hamline.
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Irabor, Toth, Sinclair get camp invites
May 02, 2023Division III football players were shut out of the NFL draft once again, but Chris Toth, who has been watched by scouts for at least two seasons, got a minicamp invite from the Bears, Ike Irabor got a call from the Giants, and Travis Sinclair heard from the Vikings. And they're not alone.
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Bethel's big man on campus
November 30, 2022The phrase Big Man On Campus is classic, maybe out of date, but never more appropriate than it is for Jaran Roste. He helps students find internships, teaches classes, loves the World Cup, and oh yes, has quarterbacked the Royals to the quarterfinals. Joe Sager has more.
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Freshmen cracking Bethel lineup
November 23, 2022When the season started, 28 of the top 30 players for Bethel were returning, so there wasn't much chance for a freshman to break into the lineup. But Devin Williams and David Geebli have, and have thrived. Greg Thomas has more.
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In camp and ready to rock
August 22, 2022Veteran teams hit the ground running in camp all over Division III football, and that's definitely true for Hardin-Simmons and Bethel. We talk to the two teams who had diverging destinies on Selection Sunday last year about their motivations for 2022 and more in our latest podcast.
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Whirlwind weekend extends Royals' run
November 17, 2021Bethel went from the highs to the lows and back to the highs on Saturday and Sunday, and face another potential drama-filled weekend coming up. Joe Sager has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.
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MIAC quarterfinalists doing good work on defense
November 28, 2018The Johnnies and Royals have their work cut out for them this week, but bring quality defenses into their quarterfinal matchups at UMHB at UWW. Joe Sager has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.
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RPI, JHU eliminate East's top two
November 24, 2018Brockport and Frostburg State were both bounced from the 2018 Division III playoffs, while Muhlenberg shut Randolph-Macon down and Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, St. John's and UMHB rolled. More in the full second-round wrapup.
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St. Norbert stops Trine in its tracks
November 17, 2018St. Norbert pulled off the first-round road win, while UW-Whitewater, Bethel and North Central cruised in the bottom left-hand corner of the bracket in the first round of the 2018 Division III football playoffs.
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Top 25: NCC beats IWU, UST rallies, Salisbury upset
November 03, 2018Wesley knocked off its unbeaten archrival, North Central handled Illinois Wesleyan, St. Thomas had to rally down two scores in the fourth quarter and Bethel made sure everyone knew it was ranked for a reason in Saturday's Division III football Top 25 action.
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Wooster senior voted to lead Good Works Team
December 04, 2017Scots center Patrick Mohorcic was voted team captain of the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, which is focused on community service. He's the second D-III captain in as many years, and one of several D-III players on the team.
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Roundup: Coast Guard airs it out; Johnson wins 200th
October 15, 2016There were lots of yards and lots of points in a few of Saturday's games, but Brockport's defense came through late and Hamilton won in an exciting finish. And Bethel got Steve Johnson his 200th career victory. That and more in Saturday's national roundup.
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Top 25: Wartburg wins showdown; Muhlenberg upset
September 12, 2015The Knights won a defensive battle at No. 19 Bethel, while F&M scored twice in the final five minutes to knock off No. 23 Muhlenberg. Whitewater and Wesley rolled in their season debuts. More in the Top 25 wrapup.
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Season opens with epic defensive battle
September 03, 2015Ursinus and a Division II school played to a scoreless regulation, then needed five overtimes to decide it. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Pennsylvania, F&M and Lebanon Valley renewed their rivalry with a high-scoring battle.
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At home in the secondary
October 28, 2014A team that works well together wins together. And as four of Bethel's defensive backs have discovered this season, apparently living together doesn't hurt either.
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Ranked teams hand GAC, E&H, Chicago, UWSP first losses
October 18, 2014St. John's and Hampden-Sydney handed Gustavus Adolphus and Emory and Henry their first losses of the season on Saturday, while Bethel topped Chicago in similar fashion. Meanwhile, Pacific beat PLU for the first time since 1972.
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Bethel bounced by cruising Cardinals
December 07, 2013
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Wrapup: Linfield rallies, Bethel survives, Fisher rolls
November 30, 2013Linfield scored the final 28 points to rally from a 21-3 deficit, while Bethel lost its starting quarterback but held Wartburg out of the end zone on their final play. St. John Fisher pulled the predicted upset. Full playoff wrapup.
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Big Final Quarter Helps Royals Close Out Knights
November 30, 2013With the game knotted at 14 heading into the final quarter, the Bethel University football team demonstrated perseverance and toughness—two principles the squad preaches every day—to defeat Wartburg College at home 34-27.
