Troy Purcell became the 21st football coach at Carroll College on Dec. 7, 2018.
Last Season: 2024 - Purcell and the Saints wrapped up another 7-3 regular season, finishing tied for second in the Frontier Conference standings and receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll. The 2024 Saints posted a pair of back to back shutouts against Simpson and Arizona Christian, as well as back to back Top-12 wins over College of Idaho and Southern Oregon late in the season. The Saints had one of the nation's top defensive units, led by Frontier Defensive Player of the Year Hunter Peck - DL. In total, 10 Fighting Saints were recognized as All-Conference selections with Peck, Carson Ochoa - TE, Cameron Pruitt - LB, and Braeden Orlandi - DB garnering First Team selections, Chris Akulschin - WR, Garrett Worden - DL, Forrest Suero - DL, and Brett Tommasini - LB named Second Team, and Jack Prka - QB & Eli Aby - LB earning Honorable Mention. 31 players earned NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors, the most in the Frontier Conference. Hunter Peck earned AFCA NAIA and VSN First Team All-American, as well as Second Team AP All-American honors, while Carson Ochoa was named Second Team AP & Third Team VSN All-American.
2023- Purcell's Fighting Saints finished the season 7-3, with a final national ranking of No. 24 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. The early stages of the season provided plenty of fireworks, with Carroll earning multiple come-from-behind victories in the waning moments of games, as well as wins over ranked Montana Tech, St. Thomas, and receiving votes Rocky Mountain College. Multiple players earned Frontier Conference Player of the Week honors, and QB Jack Prka earned NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week honors following his single-game program record for passing yards in the win over Rocky (407 yds). Carroll marched to their highest national ranking in over eight years, No. 6, in October. Seven players earned All-Frontier Conference honors, with 54 players earning Academic-All Conference honors. LT Hunter Mecham was named Second Team NAIA AFCA All-American, and Third Team VSN All-American.
2022- Coach Purcell led the Fighting Saints to the program's 45th conference championship. The 2022 Fighting Saints won their final five games of the regular season, culminating with a 21-6 win over College of Idaho to secure a share of the Frontier title, and the conference auto-bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series. Carroll finished the season as the No. 16 ranked team in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll. The Saints were a 15 seed in the postseason tournament, and squared off with No. 2 Grand View in the opening round, ultimately falling 14-17 to end their season. Purcell was named the 2022 Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and was also named the AFCA NAIA Region 5 Coach of the year. Purcell's 2022 team had 27 players named Daktronics Scholar-Athletes, 10 players named All-Conference, a Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year, two players named both NAIA All-American and AP All-American, and one player win the 2022 NAIA Rimington Award.
2021- Coach Purcell and the the Saints won five of their final six games of the year, finishing the season with a 6-4 record. Purcell's Saints had nine players selected as All-Frontier Conference performers. Center Andrew Carter was named Second Team NAIA All-American, and First Team AP All-American.
2020- Coach Purcell and the Carroll Football program came into the 2020 season with a lot of excitement and great expectations after a successful 2019 campaign. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Frontier Conference football schedule was pushed to the spring of 2021. That didn't stop the Saints from taking advantage of the opportunity. Coach Purcell helped lead Carroll to their first Frontier Conference Championship and NAIA Playoff appearance since 2014 after posting a 3-1 regular season record in a condensed spring schedule. The season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs after a loss to No. 1 Morningside (Iowa). Twelve players made it onto the all-conference teams, Alex Hoffman was selected as an AFCA First Team All-American, and Matthew Burgess received honorable mention NAIA All-American honors.
2019: In his first season coaching the Fighting Saints, Purcell led the Purple and Gold to a 6-4 record. The Saints finished the season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA. He coached honorable mention All-American wide receiver Shane Sipes and CoSIDA Academic All-American Alex Hoffman. Eleven players were named all-conference in Purcell's first season. Forty Fighting Saints football players became academic all-conference selections.
Purcell came to the helm with the Saints after being an assistant at the University of Idaho under Paul Petrino. Purcell coached in multiple roles, beginning by coaching the inside linebackers, then tight ends and finally becoming the team's special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
With Purcell on the sidelines, the Vandals won the 2016 Idaho Famous Potato Bowl.
Success has followed Purcell throughout his football career.
As the head coach of the Bozeman Hawks from 2005-2016, Purcell guided the Hawks to three Class AA state championships in 2010, '13 and '15. Prior to that, the Hawks last state championship came in 1917. Under Purcell, the Hawks finished runner-up another season, earned three divisional championships and advanced to the quarterfinals three times.
Purcell became a five-time Montana High School AA Coach of the Year in Bozeman and head-coached in two East-West Shrine games. He served as the head coach in the Mon-Dak All-Star game once.
Purcell coached current Seattle Seahawk Will Dissly and current San Francisco 49er Brock Coyle while they prepped in Bozeman.
Prior to that, Purcell coached the Blue Ponies of Havre High School to a run of success. At Havre, Purcell posted a 40-13 record and also broke a championship drought with a title in 2004. Havre's last championship prior to that came in 1970. The Blue Ponies made four playoff appearances and twice went to the semifinals, with two Central championships as well as a state runner-up finish under Purcell.
He became the Montana High School Class A Coach of the Year, as well as being named twice as the Central Conference Coach of the Year. While leading the Havre, he coached in the East-West Shrine Game as the head coach and in the Mon-Dak All-Star Game.
Among the standouts he coached in Havre included NFL Pro Bowler Marc Mariani and Saints championship quarterback Gary Wagner.
He started his Montana coaching career in Eureka for Lincoln County High in 1994, serving as the Lions' head coach until 1999. There he went 32-23, won three District 6 championships and made the playoffs six times.
He cracked into coaching in 1991 at Regis High in Stayton, Oregon. He posted a 22-9 record there and won two Tri-River Conference championships while once being named the Tri-River Coach of the Year.
Purcell prepped at Capital High, playing football for the Bruins, becoming an All-State selection in 1985 and all-conference in 1984 and '85.
He becomes the 21st football coach in Carroll history.
Purcell and his wife, Krista, have one daughter, Brooklyn. Purcell received a degree in elementary education and health enhancement from Carroll College in 1990. He obtained a master's degree in learning development from Montana State-Northern in 2010.
BY THE NUMBERS
Seasons: 6
Record: 37-19
Overall Collegiate Record: 37-19
Carroll Year-By-Year
2019: 6-4
2020-21: 3-2 (Frontier Conference Co-Champions)
2021: 6-4
2022: 8-3 (Frontier Conference Co-Champions)
2023: 7-3
2024: 7-3
