The NAIA reverted to a single division for its football championship in 1997.
The regular season was played from August to November 1996.
The 1996 NAIA Division I Football Championship Series then concluded with the 1996 NAIA Champion Bowl, played that year on December 7, 1996 at Milam Stadium in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
[1][2] Southwestern Oklahoma State defeated Montana Tech in the Champion Bowl, 33–31, to win their first NAIA national title.
[3] Final NAIA Division I poll rankings: [4] < 1995 1997 >