NAIA Football National Championship
| NAIA Football National Championship | |
|---|---|
| In operation | 1956–present |
| Preceded by |
Small college polls & NAIA Division II Championship |
| Number of playoff teams | 16 |
| Television partner(s) | ESPN3 |
| Most playoff championships | Texas A&I (7) |
| Current champion | Marian (2) |
| Website | NAIA Football |
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the championship game has been played annually since 1956.[1] In 1970, NAIA football was divided into two divisions, Division I and Division II, with a championship game played in each division. In 1997, NAIA football was again consolidated into one division. The game is currently played at Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.[2]
Texas A&I (now known as Texas A&M–Kingsville) have been the most prolific program with seven NAIA championships. Carroll (MT) are the most successful team still playing at the NAIA level, with 6 national titles.
Marian are the current champions, having defeated Southern Oregon in the 2015 championship, 31-14
Results
Game name
Over the years, the NAIA championship games were played under a variety of names:
- Aluminum Bowl (1956)
- Holiday Bowl (1957–1960, not to be confused with the NCAA Division I bowl of the same name)
- Camellia Bowl (1961–1963)
- Champion Bowl (1964–1976 and 1980–1996, Division I games only)
- Apple Bowl (1977, Division I game only)
- Palm Bowl (1978–1979, Division I games only)
The separate NAIA Division II Football National Championship was played between 1970 and 1996, when there were two divisions at the NAIA level.
Notes
1 Game ended in a tie, and both teams are co-champions.
Championships by school
- Division II titles are not included in this list.
| Team | Championships | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Texas A&I (Texas A&M–Kingsville) | 7 | 1959, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979 |
| Carroll | 6 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Carson-Newman | 5 | 1983, 19841, 1986, 1988, 1989 |
| Central Arkansas | 3 | 19841, 19851, 1991 |
| Central State (OH) | 3 | 1990, 1992, 1995 |
| Sioux Falls | 3 | 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Pittsburg State | 2 | 1957, 1961 |
| Saint John's (MN) | 2 | 1963, 1965 |
| Abilene Christian | 2 | 1973, 1977 |
| Elon | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
| Central State (OK) (Central Oklahoma) | 2 | 1962, 1982 |
| Northeastern State | 2 | 1958, 1994 |
| Georgetown (KY) | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Marian | 2 | 2012, 2015 |
| Montana State | 1 | 19561 |
| Saint Joseph's (IN) | 1 | 19561 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne | 1 | 1960 |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 1 | 19641 |
| Sam Houston State | 1 | 19641 |
| Waynesburg | 1 | 1966 |
| Fairmont State | 1 | 1967 |
| Troy State | 1 | 1968 |
| Livingston | 1 | 1971 |
| East Texas State (Texas A&M–Commerce) | 1 | 1972 |
| Angelo State | 1 | 1978 |
| Hillsdale | 1 | 19851 |
| Cameron | 1 | 1987 |
| East Central (OK) | 1 | 1993 |
| Southwestern Oklahoma | 1 | 1996 |
| Findlay (OH) | 1 | 1997 |
| Azusa Pacific | 1 | 1998 |
| Northwestern Oklahoma | 1 | 1999 |
| Saint Xavier | 1 | 2011 |
| Grand View | 1 | 2013 |
| Southern Oregon | 1 | 2014 |
1 indicates title was shared
See also
- NAIA Football Player of the Year Award
- NAIA Football Coach of the Year Award
- NAIA Division II Football National Championship
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
- NCAA Division I Football Championship
- NCAA Division I FCS Consensus Mid-Major Football National Championship
- NCAA Division II National Football Championship
- NCAA Division III National Football Championship
- Black college football national championship
- NJCAA National Football Championship
References
- ↑ "NAIA Football Championship History". National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ↑ http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205337130