| 1986 NCAA Division II football season | |
|---|---|
| Regular season | August – November 1986 |
| Playoffs | November 29 – December 13, 1986 |
| National Championship | Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL |
| Champion | North Dakota State (3) |
| Harlon Hill Trophy | Jeff Bentrim,North Dakota State |
The1986 NCAA Division II football season, part ofcollege football in the United States organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association at theDivision II level, began in August 1986, and concluded with theNCAA Division II Football Championship on December 13, 1986, atBraly Municipal Stadium inFlorence, Alabama, hosted by theUniversity of North Alabama. The championship would remain hosted inFlorence for the next twenty-eight seasons through2013 before moving toSporting Park inKansas City, Kansas. TheNorth Dakota State Bison defeated theSouth Dakota Coyotes, 27–7, to win their third Division II national title.[1]
The firstHarlon Hill Trophy, given to the best player inDivision II, was awarded toJeff Bentrim, quarterback forNorth Dakota State.
Indiana Central University changed its name to theUniversity of Indianapolis.[2]
| School | 1985 Conference | 1986 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Utah | RMAC | Western |
| Conference Champions |
|---|
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association –Virginia Union |
| 1986 NCAA DivisionII Football Championship | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Finals Site | |
| Champion |
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| Runner-up |
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| Semifinalists | |
| Winning coach |
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The1986NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 14th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men'sNCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held atBraly Municipal Stadium inFlorence, Alabama, for the first time.
| First round Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL | ||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 50 | |||||||||||||
| Ashland | 0 | |||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 35 | |||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 31 | |||||||||||||
| Towson State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 27 | |||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Troy State | 31 | |||||||||||||
| Virginia Union | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Troy State | 28 | |||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 42 | |||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 26 | |||||||||||||
| UC Davis | 23 | |||||||||||||