1996 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	September 7 – November 16, 1996
Playoffs	November 23 – December 14, 1996^[1]
National Championship	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
Champion	Northern Colorado
Harlon Hill Trophy	Jarrett Anderson, Truman
← 1995 NCAA Division II football seasons 1997 →

The 1996 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on September 7, 1996, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 1996, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Northern Colorado Bears defeated the Carson–Newman, 23–14, to win their first Division II national title.^[2]

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Jarrett Anderson, running back from Truman.

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Team	1995 conference	1996 conference
Jacksonville State	NCAA Division II independent	NCAA I-AA independent
Mississippi College	Gulf South Conference	NCAA Division II independent
Portland State	NCAA Division II independent	Big Sky Conference (I-AA)
Saint Joseph's (IN)	Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference	NCAA Division II independent

Program changes

After East Texas State University joined the Texas A&M University System in 1996 and changed its name to Texas A&M University–Commerce, the East Texas State Lions became the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions.^[3]
After Northeast Missouri State University changed its name to Truman State University in 1996, the Northeast Missouri State Bulldogs became the Truman Bulldogs.^[4]

Conference standings

1996 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Virginia State $	7	–	1	8	–	3
Livingstone	7	–	1	8	–	2
Norfolk State	6	–	2	7	–	4
North Carolina Central	5	–	3	8	–	3
Johnson C. Smith	5	–	3	7	–	3
Elizabeth City State	4	–	4	4	–	6
Winston-Salem State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Bowie State	2	–	6	3	–	7
Fayetteville State	1	–	7	2	–	8
Virginia Union	1	–	7	2	–	8

$ – Conference champion

1996 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Salve Regina $	8	–	0	9	–	0
Bentley	7	–	1	7	–	3
Stonehill	7	–	2	8	–	2
Sacred Heart	4	–	3	4	–	6
Merrimack	5	–	4	5	–	4
UMass Lowell	4	–	4	6	–	4
MIT	3	–	5	4	–	5
Nichols	2	–	5	2	–	8
Western New England	2	–	6	2	–	7
Curry	1	–	7	3	–	7
Assumption	1	–	8	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion

1996 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. T–4 Valdosta State $^	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 12 West Georgia ^	5	–	2	9	–	3
Delta State	6	–	3	6	–	4
Central Arkansas	5	–	3	6	–	5
North Alabama	4	–	4	6	–	5
Henderson State	4	–	4	5	–	6
Arkansas Tech	3	–	5	5	–	6
Arkansas–Monticello	3	–	5	5	–	6
Southern Arkansas	2	–	5	4	–	6
West Alabama	1	–	6	3	–	7

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Texas A&M–Kingsville $^	7	–	0	8	–	3
No. 9 Central Oklahoma ^	5	–	2	9	–	3
Texas A&M–Commerce	4	–	3	7	–	3
Angelo State	4	–	3	6	–	4
Abilene Christian	4	–	3	6	–	4
Tarleton State	2	–	5	5	–	5
Eastern New Mexico	2	–	5	3	–	8
West Texas A&M	0	–	7	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State +^	8	–	1	11	–	2
No. 7 Pittsburg State +^	8	–	1	8	–	3
Truman State	7	–	2	7	–	4
Missouri Western State	5	–	4	7	–	4
Missouri Southern State	5	–	4	6	–	4
Emporia State	5	–	4	5	–	6
Washburn	4	–	5	4	–	6
Central Missouri State	2	–	7	4	–	7
Missouri–Rolla	1	–	8	3	–	8
Southwest Baptist	0	–	9	0	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Ferris State $^	9	–	1	10	–	2
Grand Valley State	8	–	2	8	–	3
Northern Michigan	7	–	3	7	–	3
Saginaw Valley State	7	–	3	7	–	3
Hillsdale	6	–	4	6	–	5
Northwood	5	–	5	6	–	5
Ashland	4	–	6	4	–	7
Indianapolis	3	–	7	4	–	7
St. Francis (IL)	2	–	8	3	–	8
Michigan Tech	2	–	8	2	–	8
Wayne State (MI)	2	–	8	2	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant

1996 North Central Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. T–4 Nebraska–Omaha $^	8	–	1	10	–	2
No. 15 Northern Colorado ^	6	–	3	12	–	3
No. 19 North Dakota	6	–	3	7	–	3
South Dakota State	6	–	3	7	–	4
North Dakota State	5	–	4	6	–	4
South Dakota	4	–	5	6	–	5
Mankato State	4	–	5	5	–	6
St. Cloud State	4	–	5	5	–	6
Augustana (SD)	2	–	7	3	–	8
Morningside	0	–	9	1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Northern California Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Chico State $	3	–	1	5	–	5
Sonoma State	2	–	2	2	–	8
Humboldt State	1	–	3	3	–	7

$ – Conference champion

1996 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Minnesota Duluth $	6	–	0	8	–	3
Moorhead State	5	–	1	7	–	3
Northern State	4	–	2	7	–	4
Winona State	3	–	3	4	–	7
Southwest State (MN)	2	–	4	2	–	9
Bemidji State	1	–	5	2	–	8
Minnesota Morris	0	–	6	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion

1996 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 13 Bloomsburg x^	6	–	0	10	–	2
West Chester	4	–	2	7	–	3
East Stroudsburg	4	–	2	6	–	4
Millersville	4	–	2	6	–	4
Kutztown	2	–	4	4	–	6
Mansfield	1	–	5	3	–	8
Cheyney	0	–	6	0	–	11
West Division
No. 8 Clarion x^	5	–	1	11	–	3
No. 10 IUP x^	5	–	1	8	–	3
Slippery Rock	4	–	2	7	–	4
Edinboro	4	–	2	6	–	4
Shippensburg	2	–	4	3	–	8
Lock Haven	1	–	5	1	–	10
California (PA)	0	–	6	2	–	9

x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Chadron State $^	7	–	1	10	–	2
Western State (CO)	6	–	2	6	–	5
New Mexico Highlands	5	–	3	8	–	3
Fort Hays State	5	–	3	7	–	3
Fort Lewis	4	–	4	5	–	5
Nebraska–Kearney	4	–	4	4	–	7
Adams State	2	–	6	4	–	7
Mesa State	2	–	6	2	–	8
Colorado Mines	1	–	7	3	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant

1996 South Atlantic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 6 Carson–Newman +^	6	–	1	12	–	2
No. 18 Catawba +	6	–	1	9	–	2
Presbyterian	4	–	3	5	–	6
Elon	4	–	3	4	–	7
Mars Hill	3	–	4	5	–	5
Wingate	2	–	5	4	–	6
Gardner–Webb	2	–	5	2	–	9
Lenoir–Rhyne	1	–	6	1	–	9
Newberry	0	–	0	7	–	4

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 14 Albany State $^	5	–	1	8	–	3
Miles	3	–	3	6	–	4
Alabama A&M	3	–	3	6	–	5
Fort Valley State	3	–	3	6	–	5
Savannah State	3	–	3	6	–	5
Kentucky State	3	–	3	5	–	6
Clark Atlanta	3	–	3	5	–	6
Tuskegee	2	–	4	5	–	6
Morris Brown	2	–	4	3	–	8
Morehouse	0	–	6	2	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1996 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Glenville State +	6	–	1	6	–	4
Fairmont State +	6	–	1	6	–	4
Shepherd	5	–	2	7	–	3
West Virginia State	3	–	4	4	–	7
Concord	2	–	5	4	–	7
West Liberty State	2	–	5	2	–	8
West Virginia Wesleyan	2	–	5	2	–	8
West Virginia Tech	2	–	5	2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions West Virginia Wesleyan forfeited two victories including a conference win over West Virginia Tech.

1996 NCAA Division II independents football records
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Saint Joseph's (IN)		–		9	–	2
No. 17 UC Davis ^		–		8	–	5
Albany		–		7	–	3
New Haven		–		7	–	3
Southern Connecticut State		–		7	–	4
American International		–		6	–	4
Pace		–		6	–	4
Mercyhurst		–		4	–	5
Mississippi College		–		4	–	6
Western New Mexico		–		3	–	6
Wayne State (NE)		–		3	–	7
Quincy		–		1	–	8

^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

Conference summaries

Conference Champions
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Virginia State Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Salve Regina Gulf South Conference – Valdosta State Lone Star Conference – Texas A&M–Kingsville Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference – Ferris State North Central Conference – Nebraska–Omaha Northern California Athletic Conference‡ – Cal State Chico Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg (East), Clarion (West) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Chadron State South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman and Catawba Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Fairmont State and Glenville State

Postseason

1996 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	16
Finals Site	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
Champion	Northern Colorado (1st title, title game)
Runner-up	Carson–Newman (1st title game)
Semifinalists	Clarion UC Davis
Winning coach	championship

The 1996 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 23rd single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, for the tenth time.

Playoff bracket

First round Campus sites		Quarterfinals Campus sites		Semifinals Campus sites		Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL

Clarion	42

Bloomsburg	29
		Clarion	23

		Ferris State	21
Ferris State	24

IUP	23
				Clarion	18

				Northern Colorado	19
Northern Colorado	24

Pittsburg State	21
		Northern Colorado	27

		Northwest Missouri State	26
Northwest Missouri State	22

Nebraska–Omaha	21
						Northern Colorado	23

						Carson–Newman	14
Valdosta State	38

Albany State	28
		Valdosta State	19

		Carson–Newman	24
Carson–Newman	41

West Georgia	7
				Carson–Newman	29

				UC Davis	26
Central Oklahoma	23

Chadron State	21
		Central Oklahoma	7

		UC Davis	26
UC Davis	17

Texas A&M–Kingsville†	14

References

^ "1995-1999 Northern Colorado Schedules". College Football Warehouse. cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
^ "1996 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
^ "Texas A&M University-Commerce History & Traditions". Texas A&M-Commerce. tamuc.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
^ "History of Truman State University". Truman State. truman.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

NCAA Division II football

Seasons

Playoffs

Championship games

Bowl era	East: Tangerine Bowl (1964–1967), Boardwalk Bowl (1968–1972) Mideast: Grantland Rice Bowl (1964–1972) Midwest: Pecan Bowl (1964–1970), Pioneer Bowl (1971–1972) West: Camellia Bowl (1964–1967)
Playoff era	1973 2008 2009 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Records & statistics

v t e NCAA football seasons
Pre-NCAA	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905
NCAA pre-divisional	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
NCAA University Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
NCAA College Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023