# 1989 NAIA Division I football season

The 1989 NAIA Division I football season was the 34th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 20th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1989 and culminated in the 1989 NAIA Champion Bowl playoffs and the 1989 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 16, 1989 again at Burke–Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City, Tennessee, on the campus of Carson–Newman College.
Carson–Newman defeated Emporia State in the Champion Bowl, 34–20, to win their fifth, and second consecutive, NAIA national title. It was the Eagles' fourth straight appearance in the Champion Bowl, going 2–1 in the previous two.

## Conference realignment
### Membership changes

| Team | 1988 conference | 1989 conference |
| All teams | GLIAC (NAIA) | GLIAC (NCAA D-II) |
| Newberry | South Atlantic | Independent |
| Wingate | Independent | South Atlantic |

## Conference standings

1989 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1989 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Central Arkansas + 5 –1 –09 –1 –0 No. 9 Harding +^ 5 –1 –07 –4 –0 No. 15 Henderson State 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 No. 18 Arkansas Tech 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 No. 20 Ouachita Baptist 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –04 –6 –0 Southern Arkansas 1 –5 –03 –6 –1 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1989 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Emporia State $^ 3 –0 –011 –2 –0 Fort Hays State 2 –1 –03 –7 –0 Kearney State 1 –2 –03 –6 –0 Wayne State (NE) 0 –3 –04 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1989 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 Moorhead State $^ 5 –1 –06 –4 –0 No. 12 Northern State 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Southwest State (MN) 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 No. 19 Minnesota Morris 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Minnesota Duluth 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Bemidji State 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Winona State 0 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1989 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 SE Oklahoma State + 3 –1 –08 –1 –2 No. 13 NW Oklahoma State +^ 3 –1 –07 –4 –0 SW Oklahoma State 2 –2 –06 –4 –0 East Central 1 –3 –02 –8 –0 Northeastern State 1 –3 –02 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant East Central forfeited a win over SW Oklahoma State.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1989 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Adams State $^ 7 –0 –09 –2 –0 No. 5 Mesa State 6 –1 –09 –1 –0 No. 17 Western New Mexico 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Western State (CO) 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Colorado Mines 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Fort Lewis 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 Chadron State *† 0 –0 –08 –2 –0 Kearney State * 0 –0 –04 –6 –0 Wayne State (NE) * 0 –0 –04 –7 –0 Fort Hays State * 0 –0 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant † – NAIA Division II playoff participant * – ineligible for conference titleRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1989 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Carson–Newman $^ 6 –1 –012 –1 –0 No. 16 Gardner–Webb 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Mars Hill 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Lenoir–Rhyne 4 –3 –05 –6 –0 Catawba 4 –3 –04 –7 –0 Presbyterian 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 Wingate 2 –5 –05 –5 –0 Elon 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1989 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Concord + 5 –0 –17 –2 –1 No. 10 West Virginia Tech +^ 5 –0 –17 –3 –1 West Liberty State 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 West Virginia State 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 Fairmont State 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Shepherd 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Glenville State 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1989 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Central State (OH) ^   –  10 –3 –0 No. 8 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  7 –2 –1 West Virginia Wesleyan   –  7 –3 –0 Langston   –  4 –6 –0 Guilford   –  2 –7 –1 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Arkansas | Central Arkansas Harding | 5–1 |
| NIC | Moorhead State (MN) | 5–1 |
| Oklahoma | Northwestern Oklahoma State Southeastern Oklahoma State | 3–1 |
| RMAC | Adams State | 7–0 |
| South Atlantic | Carson–Newman | 6–1 |
| WVIAC | West Virginia Tech Concord (WV) | 5–0–1 |

## Rankings

Final NAIA Division I poll rankings:
| Rank | Team (first place votes) | Record (thru Nov. 19) | Points |
| 1 | Adams State (4) | 8–1 | 237 |
| 2 | Central State (OH) (4) | 9–2 | 235 |
| 3 | Central Arkansas (2) | 9–1 | 231 |
| 4 | Carson–Newman (3) | 9–1 | 229 |
| 5 | Mesa State | 9–1 | 209 |
| 6 | Emporia State | 9–1 | 197 |
| 7 | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 7–1–2 | 182 |
| 8 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 7–2–1 | 157 |
| 9 | Harding | 7–3 | 151 |
| 10 | West Virginia Tech | 7–2–1 | 136 |
| 11 | Concord | 7–2–1 | 126 |
| 12 | Northern State | 8–2 | 119 |
| 13 | Northwestern Oklahoma State | 7–3 | 103 |
| 14 | Moorhead State | 6–3 | 95 |
| 15 | Henderson State | 7–4 | 77 |
| 16 | Gardner–Webb | 7–4 | 73 |
| 17 | Western New Mexico | 7–4 | 62 |
| 18 | Arkansas Tech | 6–3 | 46 |
| 19 | Minnesota Morris | 6–4 | 42 |
| 20 | Ouachita Baptist | 5–5 | 15 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals December 2, 1989 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2, 1989 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9, 1989 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9, 1989 Campus sites | 1989 Champion Bowl December 16, 1989 Jefferson City, TN | 1989 Champion Bowl December 16, 1989 Jefferson City, TN |
| Harding | 9 | | | | |
| Emporia State* | 32 | | | | |
| Emporia State* | 32 | Emporia State | 51 | | |
| | | Adams State* | 44 | | |
| NW Oklahoma State | 22 | Adams State* | 44 | | |
| Adams State* | 30 | | | | |
| Adams State* | 30 | | | Emporia State | 20 |
| | | | | Carson–Newman* | 34 |
| Central State (OH) | 56 | | | | | Carson–Newman* | 34 |
| Moorhead State* | 7 | | | | |
| Moorhead State* | 7 | Central State (OH) | 17 | | |
| | | Carson–Newman* | 20 | | |
| Carson–Newman | 51 | Carson–Newman* | 20 | | |
| West Virginia Tech* | 13 | | | | |