# 1969 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1969 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 32nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This is the first tournament since 1965 tournament to feature four new teams to the NAIA Semifinals. (It would be the 5th time since 1937 this has happened; previous years were the inaugural year 1937, 1945, 1947, 1965.) This would not happen again until 2001.

## Awards and honors

* Leading scorer: Jake Ford, Maryland State; 5 games, 52 field goals, 52 free throws, 156 total points (31.2 average points per game)
* Leading rebounder: Bruce Sanderson, Central Washington; 5 games, 65 total rebounds (13.0 average rebounds per game)
* Player of the Year: est. 1994
* Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (Ky.), 8th of 28, appearances to the NAIA Tournament

## 1969 NAIA bracket

| First round | First round | First round | | | Second round | Second round | Second round | Elite Eight | Elite Eight | Elite Eight | | NAIA national semifinals | NAIA national semifinals | NAIA national semifinals | | NAIA national championship | NAIA national championship | NAIA national championship |
| 1 | Fairmont State (W.Va.) | 93 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Indiana Central | 75 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Indiana Central | 75 | | | 1 | Fairmont State | 72 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 16 | Washburn | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Western Montana | 68 | | | 16 | Washburn | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Washburn (Kan.) | 90 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Washburn (Kan.) | 90 | | | | | | 16 | Washburn | 88 | | | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | 16 | Washburn | 88 | | | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | 9 | Elizabeth City | 90 | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Elizabeth City (N.C.) | 86 | | | | | | | | | 9 | Elizabeth City | 90 | | | | | | | | |
| - | Valdosta State (Ga.) | 78 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Valdosta State (Ga.) | 78 | | | 9 | Elizabeth City | 88 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 8 | Southwestern Oklahoma | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Yankton (S.D.) | 91 | | | 8 | Southwestern Oklahoma | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 100 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 100 | | | | | | | | | | 9 | Elizabeth City | 72 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 75 | | | | |
| 5 | Eastern Michigan | 87 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 75 | | | | |
| - | Georgetown (Ky.) | 85 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Georgetown (Ky.) | 85 | | | 5 | Eastern Michigan | 69 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 77 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Millikin (Ill.) | 71 | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 77 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 89 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 89 | | | | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 77 | | | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 77 | | | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | - | High Point | 73 | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Whittier (Calif.) | 77 | | | | | | | | | - | High Point | 73 | | | | | | | | |
| - | Corpus Christi (Tex.) | 66 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Corpus Christi (Tex.) | 66 | | | 13 | Whittier | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | High Point | 100 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Missouri-St. Louis | 90 | | | 4 | High Point | 100 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | High Point (N.C.) | 102 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | High Point (N.C.) | 102 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | Eastern New Mexico | 99 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | Maryland State | 76 |
| 3 | Central State (Ohio) | 59 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | Maryland State | 76 |
| - | Monmouth (N.J.) | 63 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Monmouth (N.J.) | 63 | | | | Monmouth | 115 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | - | Asheville-Biltmore | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Asheville-Biltmore (N.C.) | 86 | | | - | Asheville-Biltmore | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Grambling State (La.) | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Grambling State (La.) | 74 | | | | | | | Monmouth | 94 | | | | | | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | | Monmouth | 94 | | | | | | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | - | Maryland State | 99 | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Linfield (Ore.) | 80 | | | | | | | | | - | Maryland State | 99 | | | | | | | | |
| - | Stout State (Wis.) | 113 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Stout State (Wis.) | 113 | | | - | Wisconsin-Stout | 83 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | - | Maryland State | 85 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Maryland State | 99 | | | - | Maryland State | 85 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Wartburg (Iowa) | 90 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Wartburg (Iowa) | 90 | | | | | | | | | | - | Maryland State | 93 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 | Central Washington | 87 | | | | |
| 6 | Gannon (Pa.) | 81 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 | Central Washington | 87 | | | | |
| - | Jackson State (Miss.) | 58 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Jackson State (Miss.) | 58 | | | 6 | Gannon | 78 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 11 | Henderson State | 80 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | St. John's (Minn.) | 76 | | | 11 | Henderson State | 80 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Henderson State (Ark.) | 78 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Henderson State (Ark.) | 78 | | | | | | 11 | Henderson State | 64 | | | | | | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | 11 | Henderson State | 64 | | | | | | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | 15 | Central Washington | 96 | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Central Washington State | 92 | | | | | | | | | 15 | Central Washington | 96 | | | | | | | | |
| - | New Haven (Conn.) | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | New Haven (Conn.) | 82 | | | 15 | Central Washington | 96 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | Howard Payne | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| - | Wayne State (Neb.) | 70 | | | 2 | Howard Payne | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Howard Payne (Tex.) | 94 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Third-place game

The third-place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.
| NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| 9 | Elizabeth City | 82 |
| 15 | Central Washington | 96 |