1972 NAIA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1972
PostseasonNovember 25–December 9, 1972
National ChampionshipJoplin, MO
ChampionsMissouri Southern

The 1972 NAIA Division II football season was the 17th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the third season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1972 and culminated in the 1972 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played on December 9, 1972 in Joplin, Missouri on the campus of Missouri Southern State College.[1]

Missouri Southern defeated Northwestern (IA) in the championship game, 21–14, to win their first NAIA national title. As of 2015, this was the earliest championship to feature a team that remains a NAIA member.

Conference standings

1972 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Carthage $ 7 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0
Millikin 6 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Augustana (IL) 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Carroll (WI) 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Elmhurst 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Illinois Wesleyan 4 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0
North Park 2 – 5 – 1     2 – 6 – 1
Wheaton (IL) 1 – 7 – 0     1 – 8 – 0
North Central (IL) 0 – 7 – 1     0 – 7 – 2
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Montana Tech + 3 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Carroll (MT) + 3 – 1 – 0     4 – 3 – 0
Western Montana 2 – 2 – 0     3 – 5 – 0
Rocky Mountain 1 – 3 – 0     2 – 6 – 0
Eastern Montana 1 – 3 – 0     2 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1972 Gateway Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Northland + 1 – 0 – 2     ? – ? – 0
Northwestern (WI) + 1 – 0 – 2     ? – ? – 0
Lakeland 1 – 1 – 1     4 – 5 – 1
Milton 0 – 2 – 1     4 – 5 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Ottawa $ 6 – 1 – 0     9 – 1 – 0
Missouri Valley 5 – 2 – 0     8 – 2 – 0
Graceland 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Central Methodist 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0
William Jewell 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0
Tarkio 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 7 – 0
College of Emporia 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 0
Baker 0 – 7 – 0     0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Bluffton $ 5 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Findlay 4 – 2 – 1     5 – 3 – 1
Manchester (IN) 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0
Wilmington (OH) 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Taylor 3 – 2 – 2     3 – 4 – 2
Defiance 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Anderson (IN) 2 – 4 – 1     4 – 4 – 1
Hanover 2 – 5 – 0     4 – 5 – 0
Earlham 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
William Penn + 6 – 1 – 0     9 – 1 – 0
Buena Vista + 6 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Central (IA) 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Dubuque 3 – 3 – 1     5 – 4 – 1
Luther 3 – 4 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Simpson 1 – 4 – 2     2 – 5 – 2
Upper Iowa 1 – 5 – 1     4 – 5 – 1
Wartburg 1 – 6 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1972 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Friends $ 6 – 1 – 1     6 – 3 – 1
Sterling 5 – 2 – 1     5 – 3 – 1
St. Mary of the Plains 5 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Bethany (KS) 4 – 3 – 1     4 – 4 – 1
Southwestern (KS) 4 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0
Kansas Wesleyan 3 – 4 – 1     3 – 5 – 1
Tabor 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Bethel (KS) 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 7 – 0
McPherson 1 – 7 – 0     1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Gustavus Adolphus $ 6 – 1 – 0     6 – 4 – 0
Saint John's (MN) 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Minnesota–Duluth 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 4 – 0     6 – 4 – 0
Augsburg 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Hamline 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Macalester 0 – 7 – 0     0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Doane $^ 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 1 – 0
Concordia (NE) 4 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Midland 3 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0
Hastings 1 – 4 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Dana 0 – 5 – 0     2 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
1972 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Minot State + 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0
Valley City State + 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Jamestown 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Wahpeton Science 2 – 3 – 0     ? – ? – ?
Dickinson State 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 0
Mayville State 0 – 5 – 0     1 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1972 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Northern State $ 6 – 0 – 0     8 – 2 – 0
Huron 4 – 2 – 0     ? – ? – ?
Dakota State 3 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0
Dakota Wesleyan 3 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
South Dakota Tech 3 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
South Dakota–Springfield 2 – 4 – 0     ? – ? – ?
Black Hills State 0 – 6 – 0     1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Tri-State Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Northwestern (IA) $^ 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 1 – 0
Westmar 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Concordia (MN) 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 4 – 0
Bethel (MN) 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Sioux Falls 1 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Yankton 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
1972 NAIA Division II independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Missouri Southern   –       12 – 0 – 0
Westminster (PA)   –       7 – 1 – 0
Cal Lutheran   –       5 – 5 – 0
Texas Lutheran   –       3 – 7 – 0
Eureka   –       2 – 5 – 1

Postseason

Semifinals
November 25, 1972 		Championship
December 9, 1972
Joplin, MO
      
Doane 6
Missouri Southern State* 24
Missouri Southern State* 21
Northwestern (IA) 14
Northwestern (IA) 13
Franklin (IN)* 6

References

  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
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