Kyle McMartin named head coach of Bemidji Lumberjacks football team

Bemidji handed its football program to a school administrator with deep local ties, naming Kyle McMartin head coach of the Bemidji Lumberjacks. McMartin, the assistant principal at Bemidji Middle School and a former Bemidji State University player, was announced June 6, 2026 as the next leader of a program that sits at the center of Bemidji’s fall sports identity.

The hire puts a district employee who already works with Bemidji students into direct control of one of the community’s most visible athletic jobs. McMartin has served as assistant principal at Bemidji Middle School since being promoted for the 2017-2018 school year, and the school’s current staff listing still names him in that role alongside Principal Drew Hildenbrand and Assistant Principal David Gooch. The Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals also recognized McMartin as the Northern Division Middle Level Assistant Principal of the Year, a distinction that adds weight to a hire built as much on leadership as on football experience.

For Bemidji Area Schools, the choice signals an effort to connect player development, discipline and program culture more tightly across the district. McMartin’s background in school administration could give the Lumberjacks a coach who is already known to families, staff and students before they ever reach Bemidji High School. The move also gives the program a former Bemidji State athlete at the helm, a detail that should resonate in a town where football remains one of the most followed and discussed parts of the local sports calendar.

McMartin replaces Bryan Stoffel, who resigned after six seasons as Bemidji football coach. Stoffel said ongoing personal attacks, including those affecting his family, contributed to his decision. The transition closes a difficult chapter for the program and places added attention on how quickly the Lumberjacks can stabilize under new leadership.

Bemidji High School has long treated football as part of the district’s broader institutional memory, and Bemidji Area Schools says the school inducts up to five former athletes or coaches each year into its Lumberjack Hall of Fame. That tradition now sits beside a fresh coaching change, with McMartin expected to shape not only game plans but also the standards that players and families will see this season.