| Year: | 1988 |
| Team: | Carson–Newman Eagles |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | South Atlantic Conference |
| Short Conf: | SAC |
| Record: | 12–2 |
| Conf Record: | 5–2 |
| Head Coach: | Ken Sparks |
| Hc Year: | 9th |
| Stadium: | Burke–Tarr Stadium |
| Champion: | NAIA Division I national champion SAC champion |
| Bowl: | Champion Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | W 56–21 vs. |
The 1988 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 1988 NAIA Division I football season. In its ninth year under head coach Ken Sparks, the team compiled a 12–2 record (5–2 against conference opponents), tied for the SAC championship, and defeated in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.[1]
It was the fourth of five national championships (1983, 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989) won by Carson–Newman during the 1980s.