1971 NAIA Division II football season

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The 1971 NAIA Division II football season was the 16th season of NAIA football and the second for the lower division. The regular season ran from August to November 1971, followed by the postseason from November 26 to December 11, 1971.

The national championship was played on December 11, 1971, in Thousand Oaks, California, on the campus of California Lutheran University. The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen defeated the Westminster Titans, the defending national champions, 30–14 to win their first NAIA national title.

Cal Lutheran entered the four-team playoff as the fourth seed. They beat Montana Tech 34–6 in the semifinals and then hosted Westminster in the title game. Westminster had been No. 1 all season and was the defending champion.

Key figures from the championship run include Cal Lutheran head coach Bob Shoup, who was honored as NAIA Coach of the Year and Lutheran Coach of the Year after the win. The championship team featured notable players such as Brian Kelley, Sam Cvijanovich, Mike Sheppard, and Ralph Miller. Kelley, who later played in the NFL and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, delivered a crucial interception return for a touchdown in the title game and was named the game's most valuable player. Cvijanovich was named NAIA District III Player of the Year for 1971, and Sheppard was named the defensive player of the game.

After the victory, Cal Lutheran held a celebration with the Dallas Cowboys, who had trained at the campus during the summers. The connection between the college and the NFL team was strong, with Shoup often around Cowboys players and coaches.

A banquet honoring the champions was held in February 1972 at the Hollywood Palladium. In 2014, a statue of Shoup was unveiled on California Lutheran University’s campus in recognition of his 1971 Kingsmen team.

Several Cal Lutheran players went on to professional leagues, including Brian Kelley (NFL Giants) and Sam Cvijanovich. Mike Sheppard and Ralph Miller also pursued professional football careers, and Cvijanovich later played in the Canadian Football League. Sam Cvijanovich was named NAIA Player of the Year following the championship.