Mike McElroy's first season as a defensive back at Southern Illinois was in 2007. That was an autumn leading to change in Carbondale, Ill., when coach Jerry Kill went 12-2 and left for Northern Illinois, and the Gateway Conference would admit North Dakota State and South Dakota State and become the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008.

Already an honored safety for the Salukis, McElroy suffered a broken ankle as a senior early in 2010 and was allowed a fifth season for 2011. McElroy remains high on the list of all-time interceptions for the Salukis with 15.

The next summer, he became a volunteer assistant at Marion High School, a short drive to the east. He was quoted thusly in Carbondale's Daily Egyptian:

"I think I've known since my sophomore year of high school that I wanted to be a high school football coach. My dad [Bill] is a coach, and it's always been my dream profession."

That theory was tested the following fall, when McElroy became the football coach for the merged high school team, Elverado and Trico.

The schools were in the tiny towns in that deep south of Illinois, known since the 1830s as "Little Egypt" – biblical, we're told – based on its standing as the state's bread basket.

Mike McElroy was the defensive coordinator at Bethel before moving into the head coaching job. (Bethel University photo)

"We had 26 players total, and we were terrible," McElroy said. "Our only win was the last game of the season, against a better team. I was happy for players that hung with it through all those defeats."

Then came a call from Kill early in 2014. SIU's victory over Northern Illinois, an FBS team in 2007, had boosted Kill to the NIU job in 2008, and NIU's victory over the Gophers on a Saturday night in Minneapolis in 2010 had helped him get the Minnesota job starting in 2011.

"Jerry called me on a Thursday in January and said, 'I have a graduate assistant opening; do you want it?'" McElroy said. "He added, 'I have to know by Friday, and you have to be here Monday.'

"I got there Monday."

Kill said this week: "We were on a very good run at Southern, and Mike came in and played quite a bit for us right away. He had talent, and also a mind for the game. He was the son of a coach. We've had GAs like that who are having success as coaches … Mike, Isaac Fruechte, others."

McElroy spent two years as a Gophers' GA and one season as a defensive coach for Concordia in St. Paul. Then in 2017, he became a 29-year-old defensive coordinator for Steve Johnson, the legend who transformed Bethel from an MIAC doormat to perennial challenger and a Division III power.

Johnson was 33 when he took over in 1989 and had the Royals in contention by Season 3. He announced at the end of last October that his 34th season would be his last. It wound up with a sixth MIAC title and 12th Division III playoff appearance.

Bethel decided to go young again when it named McElroy as Johnson's replacement in January. He turned 36 on Friday and will coach his first game Saturday night, when the Royals make a 1.5-mile road trip to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul for their opener.

The two neighbors have played only twice – Bethel wins in 1990 and '91.

"I inherited this game," McElroy said. "It does seem like a natural for a nonconference opener."

Yes, it does, although UNW figures to be up against it Saturday; plus, coach Matt Moore and his staff might not learn much watching video of Bethel's past offense.

"I was able to hire Colin Duling from Berry College as our new offensive coordinator," McElroy said. "One back, spread it out, throw it. His offense averaged over 500 yards per game last season."

Joey Kidder, back as a graduate, and senior Micah Niewald have to be smiling, as one of most-dynamic receiver combinations in D-III football.

The question is how Cooper Drews, the new quarterback, handles Duling's system. He is a 6-foot-5 sophomore and transfer from St. John's. Johnnie Aaron Syverson decided to come back for a sixth college year, and Drews switched to the Johnnies' No. 1 MIAC rival.

And as far as passing against Bethel, good luck – with a secondary that includes preseason All-Americas Matt Jung and Devin Williams, plus Nate Farm and Gavin Rataj. They combined for 19 interceptions in 2023.

"These Royals look loaded," I said to McElroy.

To which the replacement for a legend said: "I hope so."