1963 NAIA football season

The 1963 NAIA football season was the eighth season of college football sponsored by the NAIA. The season was played from August to December 1963, culminating in the eighth annual NAIA Football National Championship, played this year at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. During its three years in Sacramento, the game was called the Camellia Bowl (separate from the later Camellia Bowl contested in Montgomery, Alabama).

1963 NAIA football season
Regular season	August–December 1963
Postseason	December 7–14, 1963
National Championship	Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA
Champion	Saint John's (MN)

Saint John's (MN) defeated Prairie View A&M in the championship game, 33–27, to win their first NAIA national title.

Conference standings

1963 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Arkansas A&M + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Henderson State + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Arkansas State Teachers 5 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Ouachita Baptist 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Arkansas Tech 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 2 Southern Arkansas 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Ozarks 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 2 Harding 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1963 Carolinas Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Catawba + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Elon + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Appalachian State 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Newberry 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Lenoir Rhyne 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Western Carolina 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Guilford 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 17 North Carolina College $ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 No. 14 Morgan State 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 North Carolina A&T 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Johnson C. Smith 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Virginia Union 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 St. Augustine's 4 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Virginia State 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Saint Paul's (VA) 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Winston-Salem State 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Norfolk State 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Maryland State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Elizabeth City State 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Hampton 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Shaw 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Howard 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Fayetteville State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Delaware State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Livingstone 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1963 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Omaha $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Pittsburg State 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Washburn * 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Fort Hays State 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Emporia State 0 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 2 $ – Conference champion * — Washburn forfeited two non-conference wins	1963 College Conference of Illinois football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carthage $ 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Augustana (IL) 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Millikin 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Carroll (WI) 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 North Central (IL) 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 North Park 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 Evergreen Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 10 Central Washington $ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Whitworth 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Western Washington 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Puget Sound 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Eastern Washington 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Pacific Lutheran 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1963 Gateway Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northwestern (WI) $ 3 – 1 – 0 ? – ? – ? Milton 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 0 Lakeland 2 – 1 – 1 3 – 6 – 0 Illinois–Chicago 2 – 2 – 0 ? – ? – ? Eureka 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Lakeland and Milton split two head-to-head games, which counted as a tie for both teams in the conference standings.	1963 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Northern Illinois $ 4 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Western Illinois 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Central Michigan 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Eastern Illinois 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Illinois State Normal 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Luther $ 8 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Central (IA) 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Upper Iowa 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Simpson (IA) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Dubuque 3 – 4 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Buena Vista 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wartburg 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Iowa Wesleyan 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 William Penn 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 College of Emporia $^ 9 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Ottawa 8 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Bethany (KS) 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Southwestern (KS) 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Baker 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bethel (KS) 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 McPherson 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Kansas Wesleyan 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Sterling 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Friends 0 – 9 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Lone Star Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 7 Southwest Texas State $ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 East Texas State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 1 Stephen F. Austin 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Texas A&I 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Sam Houston State 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Howard Payne 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Sul Ross 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Mid-Ohio Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ashland $ 3 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Bluffton 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Defiance 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Wilmington (OH) 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ripon $ 8 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 Carleton 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Cornell (IA) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Grinnell 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Beloit 3 – 3 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 Coe 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 St. Olaf 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Lawrence 3 – 4 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Knox 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Saint John's (MN) $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Concordia (MN) 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Augsburg 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Hamline 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Gustavus Adolphus 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Minnesota–Duluth 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Macalester 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T William Jewell $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Missouri Valley 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Tarkio 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Graceland 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Culver–Stockton 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Central Methodist 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 Nebraska College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Kearney State $^ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Hastings 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Wayne State (NE) 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Doane 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Peru State 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Chadron State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Valley City State $ 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Mayville State 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Minot State 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Dickinson State 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 3 – 2 Wahpeton Science 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Jamestown 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Ellendale 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Michigan Tech $ 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Bemidji State 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 St. Cloud State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Mankato State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Moorhead State 1 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Winona State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Lewis & Clark $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 No. 16 Linfield 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Willamette 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Pacific (OR) 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 College of Idaho 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Whitman 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Northeastern State $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 East Central 5 – 1 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Panhandle A&M 4 – 2 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Central State (OK) 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 NW Oklahoma State 2 – 3 – 2 4 – 4 – 2 Langston 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 SE Oklahoma State 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 7 – 2 SW Oklahoma State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Portland State $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Southern Oregon 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Oregon Tech 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Oregon College 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Eastern Oregon 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 Pennsylvania State College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division West Chester xy$ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 East Stroudsburg 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Millersville 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Mansfield 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Kutztown 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Cheyney 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 West Division Slippery Rock xy 6 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 No. 19 Indiana (PA) 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 California (PA) 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Shippensburg 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Clarion 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Edinboro 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Lock Haven 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Championship: West Chester 36, Slippery Rock 7 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Western State (CO) $ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Adams State 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Colorado State–Greeley 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Colorado Mines 1 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Colorado College 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1963 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 11 Northern State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Huron 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Black Hills 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Southern State (SD) 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 General Beadle 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Dakota Wesleyan 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 South Dakota Tech 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1963 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Whittier + 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Occidental + 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Pomona 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Redlands 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1963 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 Prairie View A&M $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Southern 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Texas Southern 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Grambling 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Arkansas AM&N 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Jackson State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wiley 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Alcorn A&M 0 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Tri-State Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Midland $ 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Concordia (NE) 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Westmar 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 2 Northwestern (IA) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Dana 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Yankton 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Sioux Falls 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1963 West Penn Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Waynesburg + 2 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Westminster (PA) + 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 Geneva 1 – 2 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Grove City 0 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Waynesburg and Westminster (PA) tied for the conference title based on two points per victory.	1963 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Eastern Division No. 20 West Liberty State x$ 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Shepherd 2 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 West Virginia State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Salem 1 – 4 – 1 1 – 5 – 1 Bluefield State 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Western Division Glenville State x 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 West Virginia Wesleyan 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 West Virginia Tech 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Fairmont State 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Concord 2 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Conference standings based on power ratings Rankings from NAIA poll	1963 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 13 Eau Claire State $ 6 – 0 – 0 7 – 0 – 0 Stevens Point State 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Whitewater State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Superior State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Platteville State 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 River Falls State 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 2 Stout State 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 Milwaukee 1 – 4 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Oshkosh State 0 – 5 – 2 0 – 5 – 2 La Crosse State 0 – 6 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1963 NAIA independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wheaton (IL)   –   8 – 1 – 0 Earlham   –   7 – 1 – 0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –   7 – 2 – 1 Findlay   –   7 – 3 – 0 Hillsdale   –   6 – 3 – 1 Eastern New Mexico   –   6 – 4 – 0 Cal Lutheran   –   5 – 4 – 0 Austin   –   3 – 5 – 1 La Verne   –   3 – 5 – 0 Southern Colorado State   –   3 – 5 – 0 Carson–Newman   –   3 – 6 – 0 Georgetown (KY)   –   3 – 6 – 0 McMurry   –   3 – 7 – 0 St. Mary of the Plains   –   0 – 7 – 0 New Mexico Highlands   –   0 – 9 – 0

Postseason

	Semifinals December 7, 1963					Championship December 14, 1963 Camellia Bowl
	Prairie View A&M		20
	Kearney State*		7
						Prairie View A&M		27
						Saint John's (MN)		33
	College of Emporia		0
	Saint John's (MN)*		54

See also

• 1963 NCAA University Division football season
• 1963 NCAA College Division football season