# 1984 NAIA Division I football season

The 1984 NAIA Division I football season was the 15th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1984 and culminated in the 1984 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 15, 1984 at Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.
Carson–Newman and Central Arkansas played to a tie, 19–19, in the Champion Bowl and both teams were named co-national champions, Carson–Newman's second NAIA title and Central Arkansas' first.

## Conference changes

* This was the final season for the Evergreen Conference, which disbanded at the end of the year after sixty-four years of football play. Most of its membership, along with several independent teams, would subsequently join the new Columbia Football League.

## Conference standings

1984 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1984 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Central Arkansas $^ 6 –0 –010 –2 –1 Southern Arkansas 3 –2 –15 –4 –1 Ouachita Baptist 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Arkansas Tech 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Harding 2 –3 –15 –3 –1 Henderson State 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –05 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Kearney State $ 6 –1 –06 –4 –0 Wayne State (NE) 5 –2 –08 –3 –0 No. 15 Missouri Southern 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Pittsburg State 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Missouri Western 4 –3 –04 –6 –1 Emporia State 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Washburn 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Fort Hays State * 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion * – Fort Hay forfeited four victories including a conference win over Wayne State (NE). Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Central Washington $^ 8 –0 –011 –2 –0 No. 19 Simon Fraser 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Southern Oregon 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Puget Sound 4 –3 –15 –4 –1 Oregon Tech 3 –4 –03 –4 –2 Whitworth 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Western Oregon 3 –4 –03 –5 –2 Western Washington 2 –5 –12 –7 –1 Eastern Oregon 0 –8 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1984 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Saginaw Valley State $^ 6 –0 –08 –3 –0 No. 17 Northwood 5 –1 –06 –3 –0 Wayne State (MI) 4 –2 –06 –5 –0 Hillsdale 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Michigan Tech 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Ferris State 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 Grand Valley State 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Moorhead State +^ 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 Minnesota Morris + 5 –1 –05 –4 –0 No. 14 Bemidji State 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Minnesota Duluth 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Winona State 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Northern State 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Southwest State (MN) 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 East Central $^ 4 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 12 NW Oklahoma State 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Northeastern State 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 SW Oklahoma State 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 SE Oklahoma State 0 –4 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1984 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Fort Lewis $ 7 –0 –17 –2 –1 No. 20 Adams State 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Southern Utah 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Western State (CO) 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 New Mexico Highlands 3 –5 –03 –8 –0 Colorado Mines 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Southern Colorado 2 –6 –02 –8 –0 Mesa * 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Western New Mexico ** 5 –2 –17 –2 –1 $ – Conference champion * – Mesa forfeited five conference wins, over Southern Colorado, Southern Utah, Western State, Colorado Mines, and Western New Mexico, due to an ineligible player ** – Western New Mexico on probation and ineligible for conference title and postseason play Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Carson–Newman $^ 6 –1 –010 –2 –1 No. 13 Elon 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Newberry 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Presbyterian 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Mars Hill 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Gardner–Webb 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Lenoir–Rhyne 1 –6 –01 –10 –0 Catawba 0 –7 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1984 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Concord +^ 7 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 4 Salem +^ 7 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 16 Shepherd 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Glenville State 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Fairmont State 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 West Virginia State 3 –4 –14 –5 –1 West Virginia Tech 2 –5 –13 –6 –1 West Virginia Wesleyan 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 West Liberty State 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1984 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Central State (OK)   –  7 –3 –0 No. 18 Guilford   –  7 –3 –0 Cameron   –  5 –5 –0 Eastern New Mexico   –  5 –5 –0 Langston   –  3 –8 –0 Kentucky State   –  2 –9 –0 Wofford   –  2 –9 –0 Rankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Arkansas Intercollegiate | Central Arkansas | 6–0 |
| Central States | Kearney State | 6–1 |
| Evergreen | Central Washington | 8–0 |
| NIC | Moorhead State (MN) Minnesota–Morris | 5–1 |
| Oklahoma | East Central State | 4–0 |
| RMAC | Fort Lewis | 7–0–1 |
| South Atlantic | Carson–Newman | 6–1 |
| WVIAC | Concord (WV) Salem (WV) | 7–0 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals December 1, 1984 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1, 1984 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1, 1984 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8, 1984 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8, 1984 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8, 1984 Campus sites | 1984 Champion Bowl December 15, 1984 Conway, AR | 1984 Champion Bowl December 15, 1984 Conway, AR | 1984 Champion Bowl December 15, 1984 Conway, AR |
| Salem (WV) | Salem (WV) | 7 | | | | | | |
| Saginaw Valley State* | Saginaw Valley State* | 30 | | | | | | |
| Saginaw Valley State* | Saginaw Valley State* | 30 | Saginaw Valley State | Saginaw Valley State | 21 | | | |
| | | | Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 24 | | | |
| Concord | Concord | 6 | Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 24 | | | |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 42 | | | | | | |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 42 | | | | Carson–Newman | Carson–Newman | 19 |
| | | | | | | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 19 |
| Central Washington | Central Washington | 22 | | | | | | | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 19 |
| East Central* | East Central* | 20 | | | | | | |
| East Central* | East Central* | 20 | Central Washington | Central Washington | 6 | | | |
| | | | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 44 | | | |
| Moorhead State | Moorhead State | 6 | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 44 | | | |
| Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 30 | | | | | | |