| Season | 1955–56 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 32 | ||||
| Finals site | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | ||||
| Champions | McNeese State (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Texas Southern (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Coach of the year | John Lance (Pittsburg State) | ||||
| MVP | Bill Reigel (McNeese State) | ||||
| |||||
The 1956 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 19th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. [1] 1956 would be the last tournament with unseeded teams.
The championship game featured McNeese State University and Texas Southern University. It was the first and only appearance for the McNeese State made in the NAIA tournament. The Cowboys beat the Tigers, 60–55.
The third-place game featured Pittsburg State who defeated the Wheaton Thunder, 77–70. This tournament featured six all-time leading scorers.
Many of the records set by the 1956 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
| First round | Second round | Elite Eight | NAIA national semifinals | NAIA national championship | |||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 114 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern New Mexico | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Lutheran | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Lutheran | 79 | ||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 83 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Teachers | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeastern State (OK) | 78 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Teachers | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 99 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elon | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 78 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eau Claire State | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eau Claire State | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 86 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana Central | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 88 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown (KY) | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kalamazoo (MI) | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coe | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 90 | ||||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alderson-Broaddus | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 108 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hastings | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rockhust | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rockhurst | 81 | NAIA third-place game | |||||||||||||||||
| Rider | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 85 | Pittsburg State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 82 | Wheaton (IL) | 70 | ||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| American International | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 93 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Geneva | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Geneva | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas Tech | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 44th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured Bethany Nazarene College and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. It was the first time the championship game that went into overtime. Bethany Nazarene edged out Alabama-Huntsville with the final score of 86-85 (OT). 1981 was also the first year the NAIA held a women's national basketball championship tournament. For the second time since 1963, the year the award was established, there was a tie for the leading scorer. Todd Thurman, and George Torres both scored 104 over course of the 1981 tournament. There have been no ties since. And for the first time since the Coach of the Year Award was established, Ken Anderson, won Coach of the Year for the second time. No other coach has won the award twice.
The 1967 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 30th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. There were only 3 upsets in this tournament. The championship game featured St. Benedict's College (Kan.) and Oklahoma Baptist University. The Ravens would defeat the Biso 71–65. The 3rd place game featured Central Washington University defeating Morris Harvey College by a score of 106 to 92. 1967 was the final year of 21 straight tournaments to have a player make it on the all-time leading scorers list. The streak that began with Harold Haskins in 1947 ended with Al Tucker in 1967. This streak had peaked in 1957 when 7 all-timers played in one tournament. It is argued that this marked the end of the "golden age" of NAIA basketball. It was the third tournament won by the number one seed.
The 1947 NAIA National Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 10th annual men's basketball tournament of what is now the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1950 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 13th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1951 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 14th Annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1952 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 15th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. In 1952, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) changes its name to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
The 1953 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1954 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 17th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1955 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1957 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 20th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1958 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 21st annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1959 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 22nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 1959 Tournament is the first tournament to use the 16-seed system, which was used until the 2015.
The 1960 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 23rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1961 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 24th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured the 13th seeded Grambling and the third seeded Georgetown. For the first time since seeding, in 1958, the third-place game featured the first and second seeds, Northern Michigan, and Westminster.
The 1963 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held March 11–16 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 26th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament did not feature any games going into overtime. This was the first tournament to feature a Leading Scorer, and Leading Rebounder awards. They were presented to Mel Gibson, Willis Reed and Lucious Jackson respectively. In the inaugural year of the Leading Scorer award, there was a tie. This would not happen again until 1981.
The 1964 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 27th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. It was the first time the leading rebounder was also the leading scorer, Lucious Jackson of runner-up Pan American (Texas). Lucious was also named tournament Most Valuable Player, which made him the third player to receive the award back to back.
The 1965 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 28th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This is the first tournament since 1947 tournament to feature four new teams to the NAIA Semifinals.. It was the longest gap up until it was eclipsed by the gap between 1969-2001 which featured 1 or more repeating semi-finalist each year. It was the second time the number one seed has won the tournament.
The 1966 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 29th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament featured the game with the most points scored. Al Tucker received the MVP award for the second time this year.
The 1968 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 31st annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1970 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 33rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.