National Club Football Association
Current season, competition or edition: 2022 | |
 | |
| Sport | American Football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010; 10 years ago |
| First season | 2010 |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Most recent champion(s) | (Ohio State Buckeyes; 2nd title) |
| Most titles | Coppin State, Oakland, Ohio State (tied with 2) |
| Official website | https://www.ncfafootball.org |
The National Club Football Association (NCFA) is an association of collegiate American football teams. It is a member of CollClubSports and manages the NCFA National Championship.
NCFA teams are typically operated by student sports clubs rather than faculty, and do not formally form part of a school's intercollegiate athletic program. The clubs can be based at any post-secondary college or university provided the institution in question agrees to officially recognize football as a club sport. In contrast the Intercollegiate Club Football Federation (ICFF) recognizes, in addition to the above, student clubs without official sponsorship and independent programs that combine students at multiple schools that would otherwise be unable to play college football (the NCFA allows its members to play such independent teams but does not allow those teams to contest for the championship). A number of clubs have membership in both the ICFF and NCFA, especially in the midwest and south (only in the Northeast, where the ICFF's Yankee conference expelled several NCFA member teams in 2015, is there a major distinction between the two).
From 2012 through 2015, the NCFA National Championship Game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia, which has also been the site of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. From 2016 through 2019, the NCFA National Championship Game was held at West Family Stadium on the campus of West Liberty University in Wheeling, West Virginia.
The 2020 Fall season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Active Member Schools
Of the 20 active member schools for the 2022 season, seven (Michigan State, Ohio State, South Carolina, Sacred Heart, Miami of Ohio, Pittsburgh, Toledo) have parent NCAA programs. The remaining 13 teams operate as their schools' only active football programs, despite not being sponsored by their respective athletic departments.
NCFA National Championship
The NCFA National Championship Bowl is the final game of the National Club Football Association season, pitting the semi-finalists of the NCFA Playoffs against one another. From 2012 to 2014, the game featured the top-two teams in the country as determined by the NCFA Coaches Poll and Power Rankings. Starting in 2015, the NCFA instituted an eight-team playoff, which featured four conference championship games. Those four winners would determine the semifinalists before the championship was played.
The 2019 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game between The Ohio State University and Oakland University featured the first simulcast of the event, with the game being broadcast live on both video and radio outlets. The Buckeyes won the game, 36–9, over the Golden Grizzlies.
Following the canceled 2020 season, the 2021 NCFA National Championship Bowl Game featured the top two teams in the league's final Power Rankings rather than a playoff due to lingering financial effects felt by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the location of the game was moved to Waynesburg University, a more centralized location for the remaining teams in the league.
Beginning in 2022, the NCFA reinstated the playoff system after realigning the league into three conferences. For the 2022 season, three conference champions and one at-large team will be eligible for a four-team playoff. The at-large team will be the highest ranked non-conference champion in the final NCFA Power Rankings.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Final Score | Game MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022[1] | Gordon State | Ohio State | 35-15 | Cedrion Brundage |
| 2021[2] | Ohio State | George Mason | 42-27 | Kellyn Gerenstein |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2019[3] | Ohio State | Oakland | 36-9 | Sam Frank |
| 2018[4] | Apprentice School | Oakland | 56-14 | Terrence Sudberry |
| 2017[5] | Sacred Heart | Fort Lauderdale | 21-18 | Jordan James |
| 2016[6] | Oakland | Middle Georgia State | 24-14 | Shakeer Williams |
| 2015[7] | Middle Georgia State | Miami (OH) | 33-26 | Eric Forest |
| 2014[8] | Oakland | Robert Morris University – Peoria | 14-12 | Brandon Tucker |
| 2013[9] | Coppin State | Middle Georgia State | 38-13 | Gavin Hux |
| 2012[10] | Coppin State | Miami (OH) | 41-17 | Antoine Goodson |
| 2011* | Chattahoochee Technical College | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2010* | University of New Orleans | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| *No championship game played. Champion determined by NCFA Coaches Poll. | ||||
Yearly Postseason Awards
Starting in 2013, the National Club Football Association began awarding First, Second and Academic All-Americans. Starting in 2014, the league began naming award winners for Players of the Year on both sides of the football as well as the Head Coach of the Year. Oakland University leads all schools with five postseason honors while George Mason has accumulated four.
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Kellyn Gerenstein | Quarterback | The Ohio State University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Antoine Johnson | Defensive Back | Gordon State College |
| Coach of the Year | Jonathan Beach | – | Michigan State University |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Chase Soper | Quarterback | George Mason University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Gabriel Gibson | Defensive End | George Mason University |
| Coach of the Year | Kevin Adkins | – | Gordon State College |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Kellyn Gerenstein | Quarterback | The Ohio State University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Andrew Sebra | Defensive End | Oakland University |
| Coach of the Year | James Grega, Jr. | – | The Ohio State University |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Justin Fenical | Quarterback | George Mason University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Devin Anderson | Defensive End | George Mason University |
| Coach of the Year | Rick Fracassa | – | Oakland University |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Willie Marrow | Wide Receiver | George Mason University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Steven O'Connell | Defensive Back | Oakland University |
| Coach of the Year | Greg Jones | – | Sacred Heart University |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Will Kasser | Quarterback | Sacred Heart University |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Bobby Saad | Linebacker | Oakland University |
| Coach of the Year | Tom Menas | – | Oakland University |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Tyler Rus | Running Back | Miami (OH) |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Jimmy Neyhouse | Defensive Tackle | Wright State University |
| Coach of the Year | Daniel Mock | – | Middle Georgia State |
| Award | Recipient | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Sam Clark | Quarterback | UW–Milwaukee |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Ryan Sepulveda | Defensive End | George Mason University |
| Coach of the Year | John Clarke | – | Loyola (Chicago) |
References
- ^ Gordon State College (2022-12-08). "GSC Club Football Returns Home As 2022 NCFA National Champions, NCFA Awards Several HighlandersS". Retrieved 2023-08-30.
- ^ "Ohio State Buckeyes: 2021 NCFA National Champions! | NCFA". Retrieved 2021-12-10.
- ^ ncbba. "Ohio State Buckeyes: 2019 NCFA National Champions! | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2018 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2017 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2016 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ ncfa. "2015 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2014 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2013 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ S; S, y; erson. "2012 Post Season History | NCFA". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
External links
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