Before the formation of the National Tournament as we know it, the NJCAA, in conjunction with officials from the Western States Basketball leagues created an Invitational Tournament called the Western States Basketball Tournament. The tournament ran from 1945-47. Top teams from all over the country convened in California to compete. Although never officially declared NJCAA National Champions, Pasadena (CA), Sacramento (CA), and Compton (CA) won the first three championship tournaments.
The excitement and success of the Western States Invitational Tournament became the segue to the current region, district, and national tournament format we see in the NJCAA today.
In 1948, the first official NJCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was born. It was played in the Southwest State College Field House in Springfield, MO. The tournament moved to Hutchinson, KS in 1949, and for the next three years it was played downtown in Convention Hall.
Prior to the 1952 Championship, the event moved to the newly completed Sports Arena on the current site of the Hutchinson CC campus. The tournament had found a new home, and it has been there ever since. Although the Sports Arena has undergone several upgrades, the latest was completed just in time for the 2018 tournament.
In the beginning, the NJCAA only had one division for men’s basketball. Then in 1986, a restricted scholarship, Division 2 level, was added. A third, non-scholarship division, was formed prior to the 1990-91 season.
Overall there have been six repeat National Champions. Moberly Area CC (MO) was the first, and did it twice in the Tournament’s first twenty years (1954 & 1955 and again in 1966 & 1967). Mercer County JC (Trenton, NJ) was next in 1973 and 1974.
Independence CC (KS) accomplished back to back titles in 1977 & 1978. Shortly thereafter San Jacinto-Central (TX) captured crowns in 1983 & 1984, and made it three in four years by taking the championship in 1986 as well.
Indian Hills CC (IA) and Southeastern CC (IA) flexed their muscles at the end of the old and beginning of the new centuries winning six titles in nine years. Indian Hills is the only team to have a three-peat to their credit from 1997 through 1999. Southeastern CC made it a four-peat for the Region 11 (Iowa) Champions by winning it all in 2000. Then the Blackhawks went two in a row in 2003 & 2004, the last time the tournament has seen back to backs.
Five teams have been runners-up only to return to the title game the following year and take the championship. Weber JC (UT) in 1958 & 1959; San Jacinto in 1967 & 1968; College of Southern Idaho in 1975 & 1976; Salt Lake CC (UT) made it happen in 2008 & 2009; and the host school, Hutchinson CC did it in 2016 & 2017.
There have been 7 overtime championship games in tournament history, one of which went two extra periods. Moberly Area CC (MO) has been in three of those seven. Moberly won back to back Championships (1954 & 1955) and in both years the game went OT. The 1955 title game vs Hannibal-LaGrange JC (MO) was the only one that needed 2OT to decide a winner.
In fact, the representative from Missouri (the teams Regions have altered throughout history) was involved in five of the seven. Three Rivers College (Poplar Bluff, MO) also a played in two, a win in 1979 and a loss coming in 2010.
Four times in tournament history have teams from the same state met for the title, Kansas has had both combatants twice (1953 & again in 2021). In the first year of the new format (2013) allowing at-large and zone rotation qualifiers, two schools from Florida danced it off. Two Missouri teams 60 miles apart, although technically in two different regions at the time, squared off in 1956.
Surprisingly, with the state of Texas having two separate regions from the beginning, there have never been two teams from the Lone Star State meeting up in the finals. However, Texas by far has the most National Championship game appearances with 33, and have the most Championships over any other state with 20. Almost split down the region divide, eleven of those champions reign from Region XIV (East Texas).
Even though the East side (Region 14) of Texas dominated early, the West half (Region 5) has made up ground quickly in recent years. And NOT just Region 5, but during a stretch of six years (2007-2012) a member of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) from Region V played in the championship game, winning four. Now that’s not only impressive, but totally unprecedented.
| YEAR | CHAMPION (No. of titles) | RUNNER-UP | SCORE |
| 2026 | Howard College (TX) – 2 | College of Southern Idaho – 5 | 82-67 |
| 2025 | Trinity Valley CC (TX) | Connors State College (OK) | 69-61 |
| 2024 | Barton CC (KS) | Triton College (IL) | 88-73 |
| 2023 | John A. Logan College (IL) | Northwest Florida State – 3 | 73-70 |
| 2022 | Northwest Florida State – 3 | Salt Lake CC (UT) – 2 | 83-67 |
| 2021 | Coffeyville CC (KS) – 2 | Cowley College (KS) – 2 | 108-99 |
| 2020 | No Champion Crowned | Tournament canceled due to Covid-19 concerns | |
| 2019 | Vincennes University (IN) – 4 | Ranger College (TX) | 87-77 |
| 2018 | South Plains College (TX) – 3 | College of Southern Idaho – 4 | 98-95 |
| 2017 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 3 | Eastern Florida State | 84-58 |
| 2016 | Salt Lake CC (UT) – 2 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 2 | 74-64 |
| 2015 | Northwest Florida State – 2 | South Plains College (TX) | 83-80 |
| 2014 | Jones JC (MS) | Indian Hills CC (IA) | 87-77 |
| 2013 | College of Central Florida | Northwest Florida State – 2 | 74-69 |
| 2012 | South Plains College (TX) – 2 | Northwest Florida State | 81-68 |
| 2011 | College of Southern Idaho – 3 | Midland College (TX) – 3 | 72-64 |
| 2010 | Howard College (TX) | Three Rivers College (MO) | 85-80 OT |
| 2009 | Salt Lake CC (UT) | Midland College (TX) – 2 | 67-60 |
| 2008 | South Plains College (TX) | Salt Lake CC (UT) | 67-56 |
| 2007 | Midland College (TX) – 2 | Chipola College (FL) – 2 | 94-75 |
| 2006 | Univ. of Arkansas-Fort Smith – 2 | Tallahassee CC (FL) | 68-59 |
| 2005 | Paris JC (TX) | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 3 | 70-61 |
| 2004 | Southeastern CC (IA) – 3 | Redlands CC (OK) | 58-43 |
| 2003 | Southeastern CC (IA) – 2 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 4 | 76-68 |
| 2002 | Dixie College (UT) | Coffeyville CC (KS) | 82-81 |
| 2001 | Wabash Valley College (IL) | Allegany College (MD) | 89-83 |
| 2000 | Southeastern CC (IA) | John C. Calhoun State (AL) | 84-70 |
| 1999 | Indian Hills CC (IA) – 3 | Barton Co. CC (KS) | 100-86 |
| 1998 | Indian Hills CC (IA) – 2 | Southwest Tenn. CC | 83-68 |
| 1997 | Indian Hills CC (IA) | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 3 | 89-80 |
| 1996 | Sullivan College (KY) | Allegany College (MD) | 104-98 OT |
| 1995 | Okaloosa-Walton CC (FL)* | Spartanburg Methodist (SC) | 79-63 |
| 1994 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 2 | Three Rivers CC (MO) | 78-74 |
| 1993 | Pensacola State College (FL) | Butler Co. CC (KS) – 2 | 79-74 |
| 1992 | Three Rivers CC (MO) – 2 | Butler Co. CC (KS) | 78-77 |
| 1991 | Aquinas JC (TN) | Arizona Western College | 74-68 |
| 1990 | Connors State College (OK) | College of Southern Idaho – 3 | 103-87 |
| 1989 | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | Northeast Mississippi CC – 2 | 83-76 |
| 1988 | Hutchinson CC (KS) | Kankakee CC (IL) – 2 | 76-74 |
| 1987 | College of Southern Idaho – 2 | Midland College (TX) | 69-68 |
| 1986 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 4 | Vincennes University (IN) | 84-78 |
| 1985 | Dixie College (UT) | Kankakee CC (IL) | 57-55 |
| 1984 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 3 | Independence CC (KS) | 86-82 |
| 1983 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 2 | Seminole State CC (OK) | 73-68 |
| 1982 | Midland College (TX) | Miami-Dade North (FL) | 93-88 OT |
| 1981 | Westark CC (AK)+ | Lincoln College (IL) | 67-50 |
| 1980 | Western Texas College – 2 | Jefferson State CC (AL) | 85-72 |
| 1979 | Three Rivers CC (MO) | Mercer Co. CC (NJ) – 3 | 60-59 OT |
| 1978 | Independence CC (KS) – 3 | Niagra County CC (NY) | 62-61 |
| 1977 | Independence CC (KS) – 2 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 2 | 75-72 |
| 1976 | College of Southern Idaho | Mercer County CC (NJ) – 2 | 62-50 |
| 1975 | Western Texas College | College of Southern Idaho – 2 | 65-57 |
| 1974 | Mercer County CC (NJ) – 2 | Chipola JC (FL) | 60-58 |
| 1973 | Mercer County (NJ) | Vacated | 80-61 |
| 1972 | Vincennes University (IN) – 3 | Ferrum JC (VA) | 73-61 |
| 1971 | Ellsworth CC (IA) | College of Southern Idaho | 80-71 |
| 1970 | Vincennes University (IN) – 2 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 2 | 85-67 |
| 1969 | Paducah JC (KY) | Robert Morris (PA) | 79-76 |
| 1968 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | Mercer County CC (NJ) | 66-64 |
| 1967 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 4 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | 56-55 |
| 1966 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 3 | Cameron JC (OK) | 90-66 |
| 1965 | Vincennes University (IN) | Southeastern CC (IA) | 80-76 |
| 1964 | Dodge City CC (KS) | Casper JC (WY) | 73-68 |
| 1963 | Independence CC (KS) | Moberly Area CC (MO) | 73-68 OT |
| 1962 | Coffeyville CC (KS) | Lon Morris College (TX) | 74-49 |
| 1961 | Pueblo JC (CO) | Tyler JC (TX) – 2 | 79-66 |
| 1960 | Parsons JC (CO) | Tyler JC (TX) | 73-71 |
| 1959 | Weber College (UT) | Bethany Lutheran (MN) | 57-47 |
| 1958 | Kilgore JC (TX) – 2 | Weber College (UT) | 68-57 |
| 1957 | San Angelo College (TX) | Eastern Arizona College | 63-51 |
| 1956 | Kilgore JC (TX) | Hannibal-LaGrange JC (MO) – 2 | 68-65 |
| 1955 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 2 | Hannibal-LaGrange JC (MO) | 71-64 2OT |
| 1954 | Moberly Area CC (MO) | Snow College (UT) | 54-49 OT |
| 1953 | El Dorado JC (KS) | Arkansas City JC (KS)^ | 80-64 |
| 1952 | Wharton JC (TX) | Hibbing JC (MN) | 78-76 |
| 1951 | Tyler JC (TX) – 2 | Ventura College (CA) | 93-75 |
| 1950 | Los Angeles College (CA) | Northeast Mississippi JC | 67-63 |
| 1949 | Tyler JC (TX) | Hutchinson CC (KS) | 66-64 |
| 1948 | College of Marin (CA) | Murray State College (OK) | 48-34 |
* Okaloosa-Walton CC became Northwest Florida State College and is located in Niceville, FL
+ Westark CC (AR) became University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.
^ Arkansas City JC (KS) later became Cowley College