1988 Carson–Newman Eagles football team

1988 Carson–Newman Eagles football
NAIA Division I national champion SAC champion
Champion Bowl, W 56–21 vs. Adams State
Conference	South Atlantic Conference
Record	12–2 (5–2 SAC)
Head coach	Ken Sparks (9th season)
Home stadium	Burke–Tarr Stadium

1988 South Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Carson–Newman +^	5	–	2	–	0			12	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Catawba +^	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Lenoir–Rhyne +	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
No. 22 Elon	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Mars Hill	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Gardner–Webb	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Newberry	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Presbyterian	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

The 1988 Carson–Newman Eagles football team was an American football team that represented Carson–Newman College (renamed Carson–Newman University in 2012) as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1988 NAIA Division I football season. In its ninth year under head coach Ken Sparks, the team compiled a 12–2 record (5–2 against conference opponents), tied for the SAC championship, and defeated Adams State in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.^[1]

It was the fourth of five national championships (1983, 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989) won by Carson–Newman during the 1980s.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Fairmont State*	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	W 17–12	3,642
September 10	at Hillsdale*	Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium Hillsdale, MI	W 24–14	5,500
September 17	Wingate*	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	W 36–24
September 24	at Elon	Burlington Memorial Stadium Burlington, NC	L 7–10
October 1	Catawba	Shuford Stadium Salisbury, NC	W 3–0
October 8	Newberry	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	L 13–14
October 15	at Mars Hill	Meares Stadium Mars Hill, NC	W 34–16
October 22	Gardner–Webb	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	W 22–12
October 29	at Lenoir–Rhyne	Moretz Stadium Hickory, NC	W 28–21
November 12	Presbyterian	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	W 52–21
November 26	Concord*	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN (NAIA Division I first round)	W 62–29	1,548
December 3	Moorhead State*	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN (NAIA Division I quarterfinal)	W 42–6
December 10	at Central State (OH)*	McPherson Stadium Wilberforce, OH (NAIA Division I semifinal)	W 13–0		[2]
December 17	Adams State*	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN (Champion Bowl)	W 56–21
*Non-conference game

References

1. "2010 Carson-Newman Eagles Football Media Guide" (PDF). Carson-Newman College. 2010.
2. "It's back to the Bowl for C–N". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 11, 1988. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.