1987 NAIA Division I football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1987
PostseasonNovember 28–December 19, 1987
National ChampionshipCameron Stadium
Lawton, OK
ChampionsCameron

The 1987 NAIA Division I football season was the 32nd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 18th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1987 and culminated in the 1987 NAIA Champion Bowl playoffs and the 1987 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 19, 1987 at Cameron Stadium in Lawton, Oklahoma, on the campus of Cameron University.[1]

Cameron defeated Carson–Newman in the Champion Bowl (a re-match of the previous year's final, won by the Eagles), 30–2, to win their first NAIA national title.[2]

Conference realignment

Conference changes

Conference standings

1987 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Central Arkansas $^ 6 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Southern Arkansas 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
No. 22 Harding 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
No. 25 Henderson State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
No. 21 Arkansas–Monticello 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Ouachita Baptist 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 1
Arkansas Tech 1 – 4 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Pittsburg State $^ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 24 Washburn 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
No. 12 Emporia State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Kearney State 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Fort Hays State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Missouri Southern 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Wayne State (NE) 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 8 – 1
Missouri Western 0 – 6 – 1 1 – 9 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 Columbia Football League standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Northern Division
No. 8 Central Washington * x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
No. 6 Pacific Lutheran ^ 4 – 1 – 1 11 – 1 – 1
No. 17 Puget Sound 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Simon Fraser 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Western Washington 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 2
Whitworth 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Lewis & Clark 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
Southern Division
Oregon Tech x 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
No. 15 Southern Oregon * 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Linfield 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Pacific (OR) 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 2
Western Oregon 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Willamette 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Eastern Oregon 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll for Central Washington, Puget Sound, and Southern Oregon and NAIA Division II poll for Pacific Lutheran
1987 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Northern Michigan $^ 4 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Grand Valley State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Hillsdale 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Saginaw Valley State 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Ferris State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wayne State (MI) 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1987 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Minnesota Morris $ 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
No. 14 Southwest State (MN) 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 4 – 1
No. 16 Moorhead State ^ 4 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Northern State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Winona State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Bemidji State 0 – 5 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
Minnesota Duluth 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    Minnesota Duluth forfeited 8 wins including 5 conference wins, over Minnesota Morris, Moorhead State, Northern State, Winona State, and Bemidji State.
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Northeastern State +^ 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
East Central + 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
No. 13 NW Oklahoma State ^ 2 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
SE Oklahoma State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 2
SW Oklahoma State 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Mesa $^ 6 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Adams State * 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
No. 20 New Mexico Highlands 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Western New Mexico 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Fort Lewis 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Western State (CO) 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Colorado Mines 0 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    * – Adams State forfeited three victories including a conference win over Western New Mexico
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 South Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Gardner–Webb $^ 6 – 1 – 0 11 – 2 – 0
No. 11 Presbyterian ^ 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 5 – 0
No. 9 Carson–Newman ^ 4 – 3 – 0 10 – 4 – 0
No. 19 Elon 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Lenoir–Rhyne 3 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Newberry 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Catawba 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Mars Hill 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Concord $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 18 Fairmont State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
West Liberty State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Shepherd 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Glenville State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
West Virginia Tech 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Salem 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
West Virginia State 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    West Virginia State forfeited a shared of the conference title, one tie, and eight victories, including six conference wins, over Concord, Fairmont State, West Liberty, Salem, Glenville State, and West Virginia Tech.
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1987 NAIA Division I independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Central State (OH) ^   –   10 – 1 – 1
No. 7 Cameron ^   –   11 – 2 – 0
No. 23 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –   7 – 4 – 0
West Virginia Wesleyan   –   6 – 4 – 0
Central State (OK)   –   2 – 8 – 0
Guilford   –   2 – 8 – 0
Wofford   –   1 – 10 – 0
Langston   –   0 – 10 – 0
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

Conference champions

Conference Champion Record
Arkansas Central Arkansas 6–0
Central States Pittsburg State 7–0
NIC Minnesota–Duluth 5–1
Oklahoma Northeastern State
East Central 		3–1
RMAC Mesa 6–0
South Atlantic Gardner–Webb 6–1
WVIAC Concord (WV) 7–1

Postseason

Format

Bracket

First Round
November 28, 1987
Campus sites 		Quarterfinals
December 5, 1987
Campus sites 		Semifinals
December 12, 1987
Campus sites 		1987 Champion Bowl
December 19, 1987
Lawton, OK
            
Central Washington 14
Southern Oregon* 21
Southern Oregon 7
Mesa State* 38
Mesa 49
Southwest State (MN)* 7
Mesa State 7
Carson–Newman* 21
Moorhead State 7
Gardner–Webb* 27
Gardner–Webb 24
Carson–Newman* 27
Carson–Newman 26
Central State (OH)* 13
Carson–Newman 2
Cameron* 30
NW Oklahoma State 7
Central Arkansas* 31
Central Arkansas 7
Cameron* 14
Emporia State 12
Cameron* 17
Cameron 20
Pittsburg State* 10
Concord 0
Presbyterian* 41
Presbyterian 21
Pittsburg State* 42
Northeastern State 0
Pittsburg State* 57

See also

References

  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  2. ^ "1987 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  3. ^ "NAIA Football Regular Season Records" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 20–23. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
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