| Year: | 1986 |
| Team: | Carson–Newman Eagles |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | South Atlantic Conference |
| Short Conf: | SAC |
| Record: | 12–1 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1 |
| Head Coach: | Ken Sparks |
| Hc Year: | 7th |
| Stadium: | Burke–Tarr Stadium |
| Champion: | NAIA Division I national co-champion SAC champion |
| Bowl: | Champion Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | T 17–0 vs. |
The 1986 Carson–Newman Eagles football team was an American football team that represented Carson–Newman College (renamed Carson–Newman University in 2012) as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1986 NAIA Division I football season. In its seventh year under head coach Ken Sparks, the team compiled a 12–1 record (6–1 against conference opponents), won the SAC championship, and defeated in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.[1]
It was the third of five national championships (1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1989) won by Carson–Newman during the 1980s.