The 1996 NCAA Division II football season, part of

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

in the United States organized by the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

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 Tom Braly Municipal Stadium is a 14,215-seat stadium in Florence, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the University of North Alabama North Alabama Lions and the Florence High School Falcons. It also host ...

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner, and had a population of 40,184 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Florence is l ...

, hosted by the

University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also ...

. The

Northern Colorado Bears The Northern Colorado Bears are the athletic teams representing the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors seventeen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, go ...

defeated the Carson–Newman, 23–14, to win their first Division II national title. The

Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harl ...

was awarded to Jarrett Anderson, running back from Truman.

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Program changes

*After East Texas State University joined the

Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...

in 1996 and changed its name to

Texas A&M University–Commerce East Texas A&M University (ETAMU; formerly Texas A&M University–Commerce) is a public university in Commerce, Texas, United States. With an enrollment of over 12,000 students as of fall 2017, the university is the third-largest institution in ...

, the East Texas State Lions became the

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions The East Texas A&M Lions (formerly the East Texas State Lions and Texas A&M–Commerce Lions) are the athletic teams that represent East Texas A&M University, located in Commerce, Texas, in NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. The Lions comp ...

. *After Northeast Missouri State University changed its name to

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a Public university, public Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Kirksville, Missouri, United States. It had 3,664 enrolled students in the fall of 2024 pursuing degrees in 55 undergraduate ...

in 1996, the Northeast Missouri State Bulldogs became the

Truman Bulldogs The Truman Bulldogs are the sports teams of Truman State University, located in Kirksville, Missouri, United States. They participate in the NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulat ...

Conference standings

Conference summaries

Postseason

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 NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

college football. The championship game was held at

, for the tenth time.

Playoff bracket

References

{{NCAA football season navbox