| Year Game Played: | 1979 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship |
| Subheader: | I-AA National Championship Game |
| Visitor Name Short: | Lehigh |
| Visitor Nickname: | Engineers |
| Home Nickname: | Colonels |
| Visitor School: | Lehigh University |
| Home Name Short: | Eastern Kentucky |
| Football Season: | 1979 |
| Home School: | Eastern Kentucky University |
| Visitor Record: | 10–2 |
| Home Record: | 10–2 |
| Visitor Conference: | Independent |
| Home Conference: | Ohio Valley |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 9 |
| Visitor Coach: | John Whitehead |
| Home Coach: | Roy Kidd |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 3 (tied) |
| Home Rank Ap: | 3 (tied) |
| Date Game Played: | December 15 |
| Stadium: | Orlando Stadium |
| City: | Orlando, Florida |
| Attendance: | 5,200 |
| Us Network: | ABC Sports |
| Us Announcers: | Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)[1] |
| Different Previous: | 1978 |
| Different Next: | 1980 |
The 1979 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Lehigh Engineers (now the Lehigh Mountain Hawks). The game was played on December 15, 1979, at Orlando Stadium (now Camping World Stadium) in Orlando, Florida. The culminating game of the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Eastern Kentucky, 30–7.[2]
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1979 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.[3]
See main article: 1979 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team. Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (5–1 in conference); their losses were to East Tennessee State of Division I-A and conference rival Murray State.[4] Tied for third with Lehigh in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[5] the Colonels were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff; they defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a score of 33–30 in double overtime to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game.
See also: Lehigh Mountain Hawks football. Lehigh also finished their regular season with a 9–2 record; they had lost to Colgate of Division I-A and Delaware of Division II.[6] Tied with Eastern Kentucky for third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[5] the Engineers were the East selection to the playoff; they defeated Murray State, the South selection, by a 28–9 score to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Lehigh in a Division I-AA championship game.