The 2012 season would be the first of it’s kind, as for the first time in NCFA history the National Title would be crowned on the field instead of by the final NCFA Rankings.  #1 and #2 in the Rawlings Week 10 Power Rankings would square up in a bowl game to crown the National Champion.

Salem, VA— The evening of Saturday, November 17th pitted two NCFA powerhouses in what was sure to be a battle for the ages. The goal: hoisting the 2012 NCFA National Championship trophy at the end of the game. An undefeated, Great Lakes Conference Champion, and #1-ranked University of Miami Redhawks team took the field against the explosive #2 and Mid-Atlantic Conference Champion Coppin State University Eagles squad to play in the first ever NCFA National Championship Bowl Game, held at Salem Stadium. Coppin State’s explosive spread option offense proved deadly as the Eagles jumped out to an early three-score lead in the first quarter, before Miami even knew what had hit them. To make matters worse for the Redhawks, Coppin’s defense seemed to have an answer for every play Miami ran on offense. In a courageous effort to take some momentum away from the blazing Eagles, Miami’s front line was able to drop Coppin State’s ball carrier in the end zone for a safety. Even with this mistake by Coppin, the Eagles had few worries as they sported a 34-2 lead heading into the half. Miami continued to battle hard with a strong second half performance, but Coppin State’s hard-hitting defense and prolific offense, featuring sophomore QB Antoine Goodson, was too much to handle. The offense provided some more breathing room with another touchdown and the defense came up with some key stops to close out the game. In the end, Miami’s first half deficit proved to be too much to overcome and Coppin State won the game with a score of 41 to 17. Coppin’s Quarterback Antoine Goodson was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his tremendous performance and on-field leadership to push his team to victory. It was an exceptional show put on by two of the premier club football teams in the nation.

Listen to the 2012 NCFA National Championship Bowl HERE.

View the 2012 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game Photos HERE.

Download the 2012 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game Program HERE.

Antoine Goodson would take home MVP honors after a dominating performance under center for the Eagles as he led Coppin State to the first NCFA National Championship Bowl Game win in history.

The 2011 season would be the last season where the NCFA Coaches Polls determined the National Champion as  2012 would begin the National Championship Bowl Era of the NCFA.

As an NCFA Independant with no specific conference affiliation, Chattahoochee Technical College completed the season with a 7-3 record including wins over NCFA opponents OC Tech, Columbus State,  and University of New Orleans.  The UNO game would be a pivotal piece of the National Championship puzzle as it took place the final weekend of the season.  With CTC defeating the defending NCFA National Champions 51-6, the win over UNO proved to be enough to convinces the NCFA coaches to vote Chattahoochee Tech as the 2011 NCFA National Champions.

The 2010 season would be the inaugural season for the National Club Football Association.  In it’s freshman season of existence it was decided that the National Champion would be decided by the results of the final NCFA Coaches Poll at the end of the season.  The plan was that for the first 2 years this would be the method used to crown the Champion before moving on to a Championship Bowl game and eventually a playoff system.

As a member of the Gulf Coast Conference, the University of New Orleans would finish with a 2-0 conference record having defeated the University of South Alabama during both match ups.  They would go on to complete the season with an 8-2 record including wins over NCFA opponents Wright State and future NCFA members Miami (OH) and Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville.  The 8-2 record would  be enough to convinces the NCFA coaches to vote New Orleans as the 2010 NCFA National Champions.