About
When Mac Roche looks back on his days at Carroll College, his memories are filled with the roar of the crowd at Nelson Stadium and the bond he shared with his teammates. “My favorite memories were Saturdays in Nelson Stadium playing ball with my brothers on the football team,” he recalls.
A Whitefish, Montana native, Mac came to Carroll in 2011 and graduated in 2016 with a degree in Health & Physical Education (K–12). It was at Carroll where he found not only his academic calling but also the mentors who would shape his future. Professors Kathy Gilboy and Gloria Lambertz sparked his passion for education, while Coaches Van Diest, Howlett, and Hogan pushed him to grow as both an athlete and a person.
After graduation, Mac jumped straight into the classroom and onto the field. He began his career as an Athletic Director at Loyola Sacred Heart High School, then returned home to Whitefish High to teach and coach football for three years. Later, he worked at a high school in South Carolina for two years as their strength and football coach before stepping into his current role as Head Football Coach at Flathead High School in Kalispell, Montana.
While proud of his professional achievements, Mac points to his personal life as his greatest accomplishment: marrying his college sweetheart and raising their two children. “Being a Carroll graduate is one thing I am most proud of,” he says. “The Carroll family is what made me into the man I am today.”
His advice to current students is simple: take part in everything Carroll has to offer. “Get involved in on-campus activities. Go to all games and events and be a part of the great community that makes up Carroll,” he encourages.
For Mac Roche, Carroll College is more than where he earned a degree. It’s where he grew, built lifelong friendships, and found the foundation for both his career and family life. And it’s a community he continues to carry with him, on and off the field.
