Chadron State College Athletics

The 1996 Chadron State College football team was the first to win a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship, the first to win 10 games in a season, and the first CSC team to participate in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. 

They were also the first to be ranked by the NCAA. They finished 11th nationally. 

The Eagles held a 10-2 record for the season, winning their first eight games. CSC finished their second game of the season by defeating the Lone Star Conference's preseason favorite, Eastern New Mexico. The Eagles' only regular-season loss was to Fort Hays State by three points. They went on to lose the playoffs by two points to Central Oklahoma. 

The season summary noted that the Eagles turned the ball over just 23 times in the 11 regular season games while intercepting 18 passes and recovering 17 fumbles by the opponents. The defense yielded less than 300 total net yards and 15 points per game. They scored four touchdowns off turnovers.