1996 Northern Colorado Bears football team

The 1996 Northern Colorado Bears football team was an American football team that won the 1996 NCAA Division II national championship.

1996 Northern Colorado Bears football
NCAA Division II champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 23–14 vs. Carson–Newman
Conference	North Central Conference
Record	12–3 (6–3 NCC)
Head coach	Joe Glenn (8th season)
Home stadium	Nottingham Field
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 North Central Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. T–4 Nebraska–Omaha $^		8	–	1					10	–	2
No. 15 Northern Colorado ^		6	–	3					12	–	3
No. 19 North Dakota		6	–	3					7	–	3
South Dakota State		6	–	3					7	–	4
North Dakota State		5	–	4					6	–	4
South Dakota		4	–	5					6	–	5
Mankato State		4	–	5					5	–	6
St. Cloud State		4	–	5					5	–	6
Augustana (SD)		2	–	7					3	–	8
Morningside		0	–	9					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

The team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1996 NCAA Division II football season. In their eighth season under head coach Joe Glenn, the Bears compiled a 12–3 record (6–3 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 435 to 254, and tied for second place in the NCC.^[1] The team advanced to the playoffs and won the national championship by defeating Carson–Newman in the championship game.^[2]

The team played its home games at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colorado.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	Western State (CO)*	No. 14	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	W 43–0	4,814
September 14	at Mesa State*	No. 13	Stocker Stadium Grand Junction, CO	W 59–14	600
September 21	No. 5 North Dakota	No. 11	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	W 21–6	5,821
September 28	at No. 19 South Dakota	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	L 24–27 ^OT	7,834
October 5	Mankato State		Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	W 44–27	6,318
October 12	North Dakota State	No. 19	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	W 38–36	4,521
October 19	at No. 13 Nebraska–Omaha	No. 20	Al F. Caniglia Field Omaha, NE	L 14–15	5,100
October 26	at St. Cloud State		St. Cloud, MN	L 20–30	2,937
November 2	South Dakota State		Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	W 21–6	3,074
November 9	at Morningside	No. T–17	Sioux City, IA	W 17–7	1.201
November 16	at Augustana (SD)	No. 15	Sioux Falls, SD	W 41–7	500
November 23	at No. 7 Pittsburg State*	No. 15	Carnie Smith Stadium Pittsburg, KS (NCAA Division II first round)	W 24–21		^[3]
November 30	No. 2 Northwest Missouri State*	No. 15	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO (NCAA Division II quarterfinal)	W 27–26		^[4]
December 7	at No. 8 Clarion*	No. 15	Clarion, PA (NCAA Division II semifinal)	W 19–18	4,000	^[5]
December 14	vs. No. 6 Carson–Newman*	No. 15	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	W 23–14	5,745	^[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[6]

References

1. . College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. "No. Colorado wins Div. II title". The Montgomery Advertiser. Associated Press. December 15, 1996. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
3. Adam Knapp (November 24, 1996). "Last-second kick ends Pitt State's season". The Wichita Eagle. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
4. "No. Colorado edges past NW Missouri". Casper Star-Tribune. December 1, 1996. p. D2 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "N. Colorado 19, Clarion 18". South Florida Sun Sentinel. December 8, 1996. p. 15C – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Final 1996 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 22, 2023.