Russell McCarvel enters his ninth season with the Dickinson State football program in 2026 and his seventh as offensive coordinator. From 2020-24, the Blue Hawks led the North Star Athletic Association in scoring and total offense for five consecutive seasons, highlighted by a school-record 39.4 points per game in 2021. Dickinson State also posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2023 and 2024, earning an NAIA Football Championship Series first-round victory in each season.
Following the 2022 season, McCarvel was named the North Star Athletic Association Assistant Coach of the Year.
McCarvel enters his 40th year in coaching in 2026. He began his collegiate coaching career at Carroll College, serving as running backs coach during the Saints' 2005 NAIA national championship season. Carroll finished 14-0 that year and captured its fourth consecutive national title.
Before joining Dickinson State, McCarvel served as offensive coordinator at Helena Capital High School in Montana, helping guide the Bruins to three consecutive Class AA semifinal appearances. From 2007-13, he was the head coach at Flathead High School in Montana, where he led the Braves to three playoff appearances and coached future NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler.
Earlier in his career, McCarvel spent five seasons as head coach at Dawson County High School in Montana and held coaching positions at Laurel, Glasgow and Malta high schools. Throughout his career, he has served in several roles, including offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and passing game coordinator.
A Montana native, McCarvel earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Montana State University and a master's degree from Lesley University in 2001.
McCarvel and his wife, Jacki, live in Dickinson, where Jacki works as a registered nurse at CHI St. Alexius. They have two sons, Robert and Conor. Robert is a West Point graduate and U.S. Army captain serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas. Conor, a former Blue Hawk wide receiver and team captain, works for the Fiesta Bowl and lives in Phoenix with his wife, Allie, a Dickinson State graduate, and their daughter, Charli Marie.
