The
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
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 2019 game was played at the Eddie G. Robinson Stadium in
Grambling, Louisiana.
(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
Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a campus in Sioux City (ar ...
is the current champion, having defeated the
Grand View Vikings in the 2021 championship, 38-28.
Game name
Over the years, the NAIA championship games were played under a variety of names:
*
Aluminum Bowl (1956)
*Holiday Bowl (1957–1960)
*
Camellia Bowl
Camellia Bowl can refer to one of three college football bowl games:
* Camellia Bowl (1948)
The Camellia Bowl was a post-season major college football bowl game played at McNaspy Stadium in Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 30, 1948, between t ...
(1961–1963)
*Champion Bowl (1964–1976 and 1980–1996, Division I games only)
*Apple Bowl (1977, Division I game only)
*
Palm Bowl (1978–1979, Division I games only)
A separate
NAIA Division II Football National Championship was played between 1970 and 1996, when there were two divisions at the NAIA level.
Results
Championships by school
*
NAIA Division II titles are not included in this list.
*Programs that no longer compete in NAIA are indicated in ''italics'' with a pink background.
See also
*
List of NAIA football programs
This is a list of schools in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that have football as a varsity sport. In the 2023 season, there are a total of 94 NAIA fotball programs.
NAIA football programs
Future NAIA football ...
*
List of NAIA National Football Championship Series appearances by team
*
NAIA Division II Football National Championship
*
NCAA Division I-FCS Football Championship
*
NCAA Division II Football Championship
*
NCAA Division III Football Championship
References
{{American football in the United States