NAIA Football National Championship | |
---|---|
In operation | 1956–present |
Preceded by | Small college polls & NAIA Division II Championship |
Number of playoff teams | 16 |
Championship trophy | Tom Osborne Trophy |
Television partner(s) | ESPN3 |
Most playoff championships | Texas A&M-Kingsville (7) |
Current champion | Morningside |
Website | NAIA Football |
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 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 2019 game was played at the Eddie G. Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana.[2]
Texas A&I (now known as Texas A&M–Kingsville) is still the most prolific program with seven NAIA championships, despite having been in NCAA Division II since 1980. Carroll (MT) are the most successful team still playing at the NAIA level, with 6 national titles.
Morningside University is the current champion, having defeated the Grand View Vikings in the 2021 championship, 38-28.
Over the years, the NAIA championship games were played under a variety of names:
A separate NAIA Division II Football National Championship was played between 1970 and 1996, when there were two divisions at the NAIA level.
See also: List of NAIA National Football Championship Series appearances by team |
Team | Championships | Winning years |
---|---|---|
Texas A&I (Texas A&M–Kingsville) | 7 | 1959, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979 |
Carroll (MT) | 6 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 |
Carson–Newman | 5 | 1983, 1984,[a] 1986, 1988, 1989 |
Central Arkansas | 3 | 1984,[a] 1985,[a] 1991 |
Central State (OH) | 3 | 1990, 1992, 1995 |
Sioux Falls | 3 | 2006, 2008, 2009 |
Morningside | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
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 (IN) | 2 | 2012, 2015 |
Saint Francis (IN) | 2 | 2016, 2017 |
Montana State | 1 | 1956[a] |
Saint Joseph's (IN) | 1 | 1956[a] |
Lenoir–Rhyne | 1 | 1960 |
Concordia–Moorhead | 1 | 1964[a] |
Sam Houston State | 1 | 1964[a] |
Waynesburg | 1 | 1966 |
Fairmont State | 1 | 1967 |
Troy State (Troy) | 1 | 1968 |
Livingston (West Alabama) | 1 | 1971 |
East Texas State (Texas A&M–Commerce) | 1 | 1972 |
Angelo State | 1 | 1978 |
Hillsdale | 1 | 1985[a] |
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 |
Lindsey Wilson | 1 | 2020 |
Northwestern (IA) | 1 | 2022 |