NAIA Football Coach of the Year Award
The NAIA Football Coach of the Year is awarded annually to the best college football coach in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. From 1979 to 1996, a separate award was given to the best coach in each of the NAIA's two football divisions.
Winners
Single award (1956–1978)
- Note: Even though the NAIA split its football championship into two divisions in 1970, only a single Coach of the Year award was given out until 1979.
| Season | Winner | Team |
| 1956 | Dewey Halford | Morningside |
| 1957 | Muddy Waters | Hillsdale |
| 1958 | Volney Ashford | Missouri Valley |
| 1959 | Clarence Stasavich | Lenoir–Rhyne |
| 1960 | Phil Sarboe | Humboldt State |
| 1961 | Carnie Smith | Pittsburg State |
| 1962 | Paul Durham | Linfield |
| 1963 | Billy Nicks | Prairie View A&M |
| 1964 | Jake Christiansen | Concordia–Moorhead |
| 1965 | John Gagliardi | Saint John's |
| 1966 | Forrest Perkins | Wisconsin State–Whitewater |
| 1967 | Harold "Deacon" Duvall | Fairmont State |
| 1968 | Billy Atkins | Troy State |
| 1969 | Jake Gaither | Florida A&M |
| 1970 | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1971 | Bob Shoup | Cal Lutheran |
| 1972 | Jim Frazier | Missouri Southern State |
| 1973 | Larry Korver | Northwestern |
| 1974 | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1975 | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1976 | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I |
| 1977 | DeWitt Jones | Abilene Christian |
| 1978 | Jim Hess | Angelo State |