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. 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 game is currently played at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
The University of Jamestown is a private liberal arts college founded by the Presbyterian Church located in Jamestown, North Dakota, United States. It has about 1,000 students enrolled today and has been co-educational from its founding. Until August 2013, the school was known as Jamestown College.
Lindsey Wilson College is a United Methodist college in Columbia, Kentucky. Degree programs are offered at the associate, bachelor's, and master's levels. The college's sports teams compete in the Mid-South Conference of the NAIA.
Campbellsville University (CU) is a private university in Campbellsville, Kentucky, United States. Founded as Russell Creek Academy, a Baptist institution, the university currently enrolls more than 4,000 students and is open to students of all denominations. The university offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.
War Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The stadium is primarily used for American football and is the home stadium for the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets, Little Rock Rangers and the secondary home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. The Arkansas State Red Wolves have also played there in the past. The stadium also hosts the Delta Classic, an annual football game between the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions and the Grambling State Tigers, as well as hosting the Arkansas Activities Association high school championship game in all classification.
Daytona Stadium, is a 9,601-seat multi-purpose stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida built in 1988 and home to the Bethune–Cookman University Wildcats football team. It is also used to host home games for the Mainland High School and Seabreeze High School football teams. The stadium is also known as Larry Kelly Field, a name honoring former Daytona Beach Mayor Lawrence J. Kelly.
Helen and Leonard Moretz Stadium is an 8,500-seat stadium located in Hickory, North Carolina. It serves as home to the Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears of the South Atlantic Conference. Moretz Stadium is the fourth oldest stadium in continuous use in NCAA Division II and one of the oldest in the country, built in 1924.
The Bryant Bulldogs are the athletic teams representing Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The Bulldogs compete at the Division I level as a member of the Northeast Conference. Bryant's largest rivalry during its Division II years was Bentley College, both founders of the Northeast-10 and both have prominent business programs. Bryant University athletics started out as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before it transitioned into Division II. Bryant competed in the Northeast-10 Conference from the conference's founding in 1980 until 2008 when the university began the transition to Division I. In 2012, Bryant became a full Division I member.
Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm features 17 men's and women's varsity sports teams at Southern Nazarene University. In 1999, the Crimson Storm athletic nickname replaced the "Redskins", and the "Thundercat" was debuted as the mascot in 2003. The Crimson Storm participates in NCAA Division II in the Great American Conference. The current athletic director is Bobby Martin, and the SNU Sports Information Director is Scott Secor,. Crimson Storm facilities include the Sawyer Center for basketball, indoor track, and volleyball, the Cypert Complex for baseball and softball, the Wanda Rhodes Complex for soccer, and the SNU Stadium for football. SNU Sports Information hosts the annual SNUPY Awards every spring.
The Presbyterian Blue Hose football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Presbyterian College located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Big South Conference. Presbyterian's first football team was fielded in 1913. The team plays its home games at the 6,500 seat Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, South Carolina. The Blue Hose are coached by Tommy Spangler, who is in the first season of his second stint leading the team after being hired on November 22, 2016. Spangler was previously head coach from 2001–2006. The Blue Hose Football program will be transitioning to the Pioneer Football League in 2021, at that point they will no longer be offering scholarships to their football student athletes.
The Hillsdale Chargers are the athletic teams that represent Hillsdale College, located in Hillsdale, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Chargers are currently members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as of 2017. The Chargers had been members of the GLIAC since 1975.
The Pittsburg State Gorillas football team represents Pittsburg State University in collegiate level football. The Pittsburg State football team was formed in 1908, competes in NCAA Division II and is affiliated with the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Gorillas play their home games at Carnie Smith Stadium, more commonly referred to as "The Jungle", in Pittsburg, Kansas. Pittsburg State has won more games than any other program in NCAA Division II history. It has won four national championships and 27 conference championships, including 13 conference titles in 20 seasons under former head coach Chuck Broyles.
The Carroll Fighting Saint football program represents Carroll College of Helena, Montana in college football. The team competes in the Frontier Conference, which is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Carroll Fighting Saints football team began playing in 1920 and is one of the most successful programs in the NAIA division of college football. The program has won six NAIA Football National Championships and 40 conference championships, 14 while a member of the Montana Collegiate Conference and 26 as a member of the Frontier Conference. The team is currently coached by Mike Van Diest who in his 17th season at Carroll, has compiled a career record of 194– 36. His winning percentage of .8145 is the third highest of any head coach with at least ten seasons of experience in college football history, behind only those of Mount Union's Larry Kehres and Notre Dame's Knute Rockne. The Carroll College Fighting Saints plays their home games on campus at Nelson Stadium.
The Carson–Newman Eagles are the athletic teams that represent the Carson–Newman University, located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Eagles compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference for all 19 varsity sports.
The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold nuggets represent Xavier University of Louisiana in intercollegiate athletics. The University is a Division I member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team represents the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in college football. The team is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The UCO Bronchos football program began in 1902 and has since compiled over 600 wins, two national championships, and 26 conference championships. As of 2011, the Bronchos were ranked third in NCAA Division II for total wins and ranked 12th in winning percentage (0.621). In 1962, the Bronchos went 11–0 on the season and defeated Lenoir–Rhyne University (NC) 28–13 in the Camellia Bowl to claim its first NAIA national championship. Twenty years later, Central Oklahoma defended its home turf and defeated Colorado Mesa University 14–11 in the NAIA national championship game to take its second title and finish the season with a 10–2 record. Despite its rich history in football, Central Oklahoma has struggled beginning in the late 2000s. The program has not participated in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 2003. The Bronchos play their home games at Wantland Stadium, a 10,000-seat football stadium built in 1965. The Bronchos have enjoyed nine undefeated home seasons and are 5–1 in playoff games at Wantland Stadium.
The 1985 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 in August 1985, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 1985, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the North Alabama Lions, 35–7, to win their second Division II national title.
The 1990 NAIA Division I football season, as part of the 1990 college football season in the United States and the 35th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 21st season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The 2018 NAIA Football National Championship was a four-round, sixteen team tournament played between November 17 and December 15 of 2018. The tournament concluded on December 15 with a single game, played as the 63rd Annual NAIA Football National Championship.
