1972 NAIA Division I football season explained

Year:	1972
Regular Season:	August–November 1972
Playoffs:	November 25–December 9, 1972
Championship:	Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX
Champions:	East Texas State

The 1972 NAIA Division I football season was the 17th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the third season of the league's two-division structure.

The season was played from August to November 1972 and culminated in the 1972 NAIA Champion Bowl, played on December 9, 1972 in Commerce, Texas.^[1]

East Texas State defeated in the Division I Championship Bowl, 21–18, to win their first NAIA national title.^[2]

Conference realignment

Conference changes

• This was the first season of play for the Great Plains Athletic Conference, which consisted of seven former members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Membership changes

Team	1971 conference	1972 conference
		Great Plains
		Great Plains
		Great Plains
		Great Plains
		Great Plains
		Great Plains
		Great Plains

Postseason

• † The game ended in a tie, but Carson–Newman advanced based on having more total penetrations within the 20 yard line.

See also

• 1972 NAIA Division II football season
• 1972 NCAA University Division football season
• 1972 NCAA College Division football season

Notes and References

1. Web site: NAIA Championship History. NAIA. November 27, 2015. 4–11. https://web.archive.org/web/20150715022933/http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/FB_Championship.pdf?SPSID=640523. July 15, 2015. dead.
2. Web site: 1972 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs. JonFMorse.com. November 27, 2015.