Joe Dunning was hired as Carroll College Defensive Coordinator in February of 2025.
Dunning, a native of Billings, Mont. And 2013 Carroll graduate, returns to his alma mater after ten years coaching at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels.
No stranger to success in his playing days, Dunning was a two-time All-Frontier selection (’11, ’12), a contributor on the 2010 team that captured the program’s last NAIA National Championship, and finished his career with 177 tackles, 19 TFL, six sacks, and a pair of interceptions.
Dunning joins the Carroll staff after a seven-year stint as the Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach at Rocky Mountain College. Throughout his tenure at Rocky, the Battlin’ Bears produced 22 All-Conference selections, as well as a trio of All-Americans. In 2021, Dunning and the Bears were Frontier Conference co-champions, and in 2022 & 2023 his defense finished Top-20 in the NAIA in scoring.
Prior to his time at Rocky, Dunning was a GA at Montana State, working with both the Offensive and Defensive lines from 2016-18. In 2018, Dunning and the Bobcats advanced to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
Dunning began his coaching journey right here in Helena, assisting with both the Defensive Backs and Outside Linebackers at Carroll from 2013-15. Twice, the Saints won the Frontier Conference championship, advancing to both the Quarterfinals and Semifinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series, while Dunning coached six All-Frontier DB’s and a pair of NAIA All-Americans.
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