Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team has appeared in seven NCAA Division II national title games ( and won three ) since going 0 - 11 in Mel Tjeerdsma ' s first season in 1994 . The Bearcats have made the playoffs in 15 seasons . They have also won or shared 23 MIAA titles . Northwest plays its games at Bearcat Stadium , built in 1917 , and the oldest NCAA Division II stadium still in use . The field was expanded to 6 , 500 seats and a video screen was added in 2003 after Tjeerdsma began his run . It plays its games with Pittsburg State University at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City , Missouri in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead . Pittsburg has made four national title appearances since 1991 . The Oct . 17 , 2002 game was witnessed by 26 , 695 — the largest number in MIAA history . Its best attended local home game was 10 , 805 on Oct . 2 , 2010 against Missouri Western in the Northwest Missouri - Missouri Western football rivalry . Conference . Northwest was one of the original 1912 organizers of the Mid - America Intercollegiate Athletic Association . It has not played in any other conference . The conference headquarters until 1997 was in the Maryville , Missouri home of its first commissioner Ken B . Jones . In 1997 it moved to Overland Park , Kansas and has subsequently moved to Kansas City . NCAA Division II championship games . 1998 . In 1998 the Bearcats won the NCAA Division II national football championship by going 15 - 0 — the first time in history a Division II school won 15 games and the first time a Northwest school won a team national championship in any sport . 1999 . In 1999 Northwest defeated Carson - Newman College 58 - 52 in four overtimes to defend the title . The game was the longest in NCAA football playoff history in number of extra periods , surpassing six contests that were extended by three overtimes . The broadcast analyst on ESPN called it the best college football game he ' d ever seen . The game solidified ESPN ' s interest in Division II football , prompting ESPN to cover the semi - final games . 2005 . In 2005 the Bearcats were a Cinderella team , ranked 22nd at the start of the playoffs , but they won all of their playoff games on the road until reaching the finals against Grand Valley State University . Northwest led the game until the closing minutes and still almost pulled the game out . The Cinderella nature of Northwest coming from 22nd to challenge the # 1 team in the final has been evoked as a weakness of the Bowl Championship Series , where such a run would be impossible . 2006 . In the 2006 regular season the Bearcats went undefeated at 11 - 0 . It was during their third playoff game , a game played against Bloomsburg University , that ESPN - U televised the game live from Maryville . This was the first nationally televised game from Bearcat Stadium . The game was also the first time that temporary lights ( provided by ESPN ) were used at Bearcat Stadium , ( its lights were removed in 1977 . ) The Bearcats went 3 - 0 in the playoffs , thus earning a rematch against the Grand Valley State University Lakers at the NCAA Division II National Championship Game in Florence , AL , on December 16 , 2006 . The Bearcats fell to GVSU 17 - 14 after turning the ball over four times during the game . 2007 . In the 2007 regular season the Bearcats went 9 - 1 . Their only loss was to the # 1 University of Nebraska at Omaha , who went 12 - 0 in the regular season . The Bearcats received a first round bye . In the second round , they faced # 3 West Texas A & M University at Bearcat Stadium , and won with a final score of 56 - 28 . In the quarterfinals the Bearcats traveled to Chadron , Nebraska to face # 1 Chadron State College . Xavier Omon lead the Bearcats to a 26 - 13 victory by rushing for a personal best . The Bearcats faced their long - time post - season rivals Grand Valley State University in the semifinals . Both Grand Valley and Northwest were # 2 seeds in their respective regions , but the NCAA stated that due to Northwest ' s strength of schedule , Northwest would receive the home game . The game was broadcast from Bearcat Stadium on ESPN2 ; this was the second nationally televised game from Bearcat Stadium . The game was close through the third quarter . At the beginning of the fourth quarter Northwest lead the close contest , 17 - 16 . But after a Northwest interception that produced a touchdown , and a Xavier Omon touchdown run , the Bearcats prevailed with a final score of 34 - 16 , ending Grand Valley ' s NCAA record - setting 40 - game winning streak . The Bearcats lost to # 8 Valdosta State University in the NCAA Division II national football championship at 12pm ( Eastern ) on Saturday December 15 , 2007 in Florence , Alabama ; the game was broadcast on ESPN2 . 2008 . In 2008 the Bearcats played in their fourth consecutive national title game and lost to Minnesota - Duluth which had a 15 - 0 season . Northwest has never lost a championship by more than seven points . 2009 . In 2009 the Bearcats made its fifth consecutive national title appearance . No NCAA team in any division has ever done that . The Bearcats which were ranked # 2 going into the playoffs received a first round bye . In the second round they avenged their only loss of the season by defeating Texas Abilene . In the closest game of the playoffs they defeated Central Washington University ( ranked # 1 at the time ) in the quarterfinals by rallying in the second half and then blocking a Central Washington extra point in the closing seconds . In the semifinals it defeated University of California of Pennsylvania to qualify for its third meeting in the finals with Grand Valley . Post season results . At the conclusion of the November 24 , 2012 , game Northwest is 36 - 14 in post season play . It has been in the playoffs every year since 2004 and is 25 - 8 in that string . Coaching death . On June 5 , 2011 Bearcats head coach Scott Bostwick died of an apparent heart attack in Maryville . The 49 - year - old Bostwick had been named head coach of the Bearcats in December , 2010 following the retirement of longtime coach Mel Tjeerdsma . Bostwick had been on the Northwest coaching staff since 1994 , and most recently had served as defensive coordinator under Tjeerdsma . In 2007 had been voted the American Football Coaches Association Division II Assistant coach of the year .