1969 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1969 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals Site |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions |
Eastern New Mexico (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Runner-Up |
Maryland State (1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Semifinalists |
Central Washington (1st Final Four) Elizabeth City (1st Final Four) |
| Coach of the Year | Joe Retton (Farimont State (W.Va.)) |
| Chuck Taylor MVP | Jake Ford (Maryland State) |
|
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award |
Larry Vanzant (Eastern New Mexico) |
| Top scorer | Jake Ford (Maryland State) (156 points) |
The 1969 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 32nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This is the first tournament since 1965 tournament to feature four new teams to the NAIA Semifinals. (It would be the 5th time since 1937 this has happened; previous years were the inaugural year 1937, 1945, 1947, 1965). This wouldn't happen again until 2001.
The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.
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