The 2016 Northeastern State RiverHawks football team represented Northeastern State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season.

The RiverHawks played their home games on Gable Field in Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, as they have done since 1915.

[2] The RiverHawks were led by third-year head coach, Rob Robinson.

[3] Northeastern State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 2012.

[4] The RiverHawks entered the 2016 season after finishing 3–8 both overall and in conference play in 2015.