1975 NCAA Division II football season

Last updated

1975 NCAA Division II football season
Regular seasonSeptember – November 1975
PlayoffsNovember – December 1975
National Championship Hughes Stadium
Sacramento, CA
Champion Northern Michigan

The 1975 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in September and concluded with the Division II Championship on December 13 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.

Contents

Northern Michigan defeated Western Kentucky in the championship game, 16–14, to win their first Division II national title. [1] [2]

Conference and program changes

School1974 Conference1975 Conference
Central Connecticut State Eastern Independent
Elon Conference Carolinas (NAIA) South Atlantic
Gardner–Webb NAIA Independent South Atlantic
Vermont Yankee Dropped Program

Conference standings

1975 Big Sky Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Boise State $^ 5 –0 –19 –2 –1
Idaho State 4 –2 –07 –3 –0
Montana State 4 –2 –05 –5 –0
Idaho 2 –2 –24 –5 –2
Montana 3 –3 –06 –4 –0
Weber State 1 –4 –11 –9 –1
Northern Arizona 0 –6 –01 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1975 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
UC Riverside $ 4 –0 –07 –3 –0
Cal Poly 3 –1 –06 –4 –0
Cal Poly Pomona 2 –2 –06 –4 –1
Cal State Northridge 1 –3 –04 –6 –1
Cal State Los Angeles 0 –4 –01 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1975 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Norfolk State $ 7 –1 –08 –3 –0
Johnson C. Smith 6 –1 –08 –3 –0
Virginia Union 6 –1 –07 –4 –0
Elizabeth City State 5 –3 –05 –4 –0
Hampton 5 –3 –05 –5 –0
Fayetteville State 4 –3 –07 –3 –0
Livingstone 3 –3 –17 –3 –1
Virginia State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0
Winston-Salem State 1 –7 –01 –9 –0
Shaw 0 –6 –11 –8 –1
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1975 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
UC Davis $ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0
Humboldt State 4 –1 –07 –3 –0
Sacramento State 2 –3 –05 –5 –0
San Francisco State 2 –3 –04 –4 –1
Chico State 2 –3 –04 –6 –0
Cal State Hayward 0 –5 –00 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1975 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wayne State (MI) $ 3 –1 –08 –3 –0
No. 15 Grand Valley State 3 –1 –17 –2 –1
Northwood 3 –1 –15 –4 –1
Hillsdale 3 –2 –07 –4 –0
Saginaw Valley State 1 –3 –03 –7 –0
Ferris State 0 –5 –00 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1975 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Butler $ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0
Indiana Central ^ 5 –1 –08 –3 –0
Evansville 4 –2 –07 –3 –0
DePauw 2 –4 –05 –5 –0
Valparaiso 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 2 –4 –02 –8 –0
Wabash 0 –6 –03 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1975 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Carolina State + 5 –1 –08 –2 –1
North Carolina A&T + 5 –1 –08 –3 –0
Howard 4 –2 –08 –3 –0
North Carolina Central 3 –2 –15 –4 –1
Delaware State 2 –4 –05 –5 –0
Morgan State 1 –4 –14 –5 –1
Maryland Eastern Shore 0 –6 –00 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1975 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
SE Missouri State $ 6 –0 –07 –4 –0
NE Missouri State 4 –2 –07 –4 –0
NW Missouri State 3 –3 –07 –3 –0
SW Missouri State 3 –3 –06 –4 –1
Central Missouri State 2 –4 –05 –5 –0
Lincoln (MO) 2 –4 –04 –7 –0
Missouri–Rolla 1 –5 –01 –8 –2
  • $ – Conference champion
1975 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 North Dakota $^ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0
No. 10 Northern Iowa ^ 6 –1 –09 –3 –0
Augustana (SD) 5 –2 –07 –3 –0
South Dakota State 4 –3 –07 –4 –0
Mankato State 2 –5 –03 –6 –0
Morningside 2 –5 –03 –6 –0
South Dakota 1 –6 –03 –8 –0
North Dakota State 1 –6 –02 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AP Poll
1975 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Minnesota Morris $ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0
St. Cloud State 5 –1 –07 –3 –0
Michigan Tech 4 –2 –07 –2 –0
Winona State 3 –3 –05 –4 –0
Moorhead State 2 –4 –02 –7 –0
Bemidji State 1 –5 –02 –7 –0
Southwest State (MN) 0 –6 –01 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1975 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Western Kentucky ^ 6 –1 –09 –1 –0
Tennessee Tech $ 6 –1 –08 –3 –0
No. 12 Eastern Kentucky 5 –2 –08 –2 –1
Murray State 3 –3 –14 –5 –1
Austin Peay 3 –4 –03 –8 –0
Middle Tennessee 2 –5 –04 –7 –0
East Tennessee State 1 –5 –12 –8 –1
Morehead State 1 –6 –03 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • WKU claims a co-championship, [3] while both the OVC [4] and Tennessee Tech [5] state it is not shared
Rankings from Associated Press poll
1975 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Division
East Stroudsburg xy$ 6 –0 –010 –0 –0
Millersville 4 –2 –06 –3 –0
West Chester 3 –2 –04 –5 –0
Kutztown 3 –3 –03 –5 –1
Mansfield 2 –3 –05 –4 –0
Cheyney 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
Bloomsburg 0 –6 –01 –8 –0
West Division
Edinboro xy 6 –0 –08 –3 –0
IUP 4 –1 –18 –1 –1
Clarion 3 –2 –16 –2 –1
Shippensburg 3 –3 –06 –5 –0
Slippery Rock 3 –3 –04 –5 –0
Lock Haven 1 –5 –01 –8 –0
California (PA) 0 –6 –00 –8 –0
Championship: East Stroudsburg 24, Edinboro 20
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
1975 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Division I
Bethune–Cookman x 4 –1 –010 –1 –0
Florida A&M 4 –1 –09 –2 –0
Tuskegee 3 –2 –05 –5 –0
Albany State 3 –2 –03 –6 –0
Alabama A&M 2 –3 –03 –8 –0
Alabama State 1 –4 –05 –6 –0
Morris Brown 0 –5 –03 –6 –0
Division II
Fisk x 5 –0 –07 –2 –0
Fort Valley State 4 –0 –16 –0 –2
Savannah State 2 –2 –03 –7 –0
Lane 2 –2 –02 –6 –0
Knoxville 2 –3 –05 –4 –1
Miles 2 –3 –04 –6 –0
Clark (GA) 1 –3 –14 –4 –1
Morehouse 0 –5 –00 –9 –0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
1975 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Grambling State * 4 –2 –010 –2 –0
No. 9 Southern + 4 –2 –09 –3 –0
No. 7 Jackson State + 4 –2 –07 –3 –0
No. T–19 Alcorn State 3 –3 –06 –3 –1
Mississippi Valley State 3 –3 –06 –4 –0
Texas Southern 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
Prairie View A&M 1 –5 –03 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Grambling State vacated a share of the conference championship.
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP poll for Grambling State and NAIA Division I poll for Southern and Jackson State
1975 Virginia College Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Madison $ 5 –0 –09 –0 –1
Virginia Union 2 –0 –07 –4 –0
Hampden–Sydney 4 –1 –07 –2 –0
Virginia State 2 –1 –02 –8 –0
Randolph–Macon 3 –2 –06 –4 –0
Hampton 1 –2 –05 –5 –0
Saint Paul's (VA) 1 –2 –02 –8 –0
Emory & Henry 0 –3 –02 –9 –0
Washington and Lee 0 –3 –01 –8 –1
Bridgewater 0 –4 –02 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1975 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
No. 3 Salem xy$^ 4 –0 –011 –1 –0
Shepherd 2 –2 –08 –3 –0
Fairmont State 2 –2 –06 –4 –0
West Liberty State 2 –2 –03 –4 –2
West Virginia Wesleyan 0 –4 –05 –5 –0
Southern Division
Concord xy 4 –0 –06 –5 –0
West Virginia State 2 –2 –03 –6 –1
Glenville State 2 –2 –02 –6 –1
West Virginia Tech 1 –3 –02 –7 –0
Bluefield State 1 –3 –01 –9 –0
Championship: Salem 27, Concord 10
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    Conference standings based on power ratings
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1975 Yankee Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 New Hampshire $^ 5 –0 –09 –3 –0
UMass 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
Connecticut 3 –2 –04 –7 –0
Boston University 1 –4 –05 –6 –0
Maine 1 –4 –04 –6 –0
Rhode Island 1 –4 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll
1975 NCAA Division II independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Northern Michigan ^  – 13 –1 –0
American International  – 8 –1 –0
Lehigh ^  – 9 –3 –0
Delaware  – 8 –3 –0
Portland State  – 8 –3 –0
Akron  – 7 –4 –0
Kentucky State  – 7 –4 –0
UNLV  – 7 –4 –0
Santa Clara  – 6 –5 –0
Tennessee State  – 5 –4 –0
Youngstown State  – 5 –4 –0
Chattanooga  – 5 –5 –1
Bucknell  – 5 –5 –0
Indiana State  – 5 –5 –0
Lafayette  – 5 –5 –0
Southern Connecticut State  – 5 –5 –0
Central Connecticut  – 4 –5 –0
Central State (OH)  – 4 –6 –0
Eastern Michigan  – 4 –6 –0
Eastern Illinois  – 3 –5 –2
Northeastern  – 3 –6 –0
Western Carolina  – 3 –7 –0
Nevada  – 3 –8 –0
Nebraska–Omaha  – 2 –9 –0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff  – 0 –11 –0
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Conference summaries

ConferenceChampion(s)
Big Sky Conference Boise State
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Norfolk State
Far Western Football Conference UC Davis
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wayne State (MI)
Gulf South Conference Nicholls State
Indiana Collegiate Conference Butler
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southeast Missouri State
North Central Conference North Dakota
Northern Intercollegiate Conference Minnesota–Morris
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Stroudsburg State
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II) Bethune-Cookman
Yankee Conference New Hampshire

Postseason

1975 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams8
Finals Site
Champion
Runner-up
Semifinalists
Winning coach

The 1975 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the third single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division II college football.

The four quarterfinal games were played on campus and all four host teams lost. The semifinals were the Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls, Texas, and the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The championship game was the Camellia Bowl, held at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California for the third and final time. The Northern Michigan Wildcats defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 16–14 to win their first national title. Of all current members of Division II, as of 2015, Northern Michigan was the first to win the playoff national championship. They went from winless (0–10) in 1974 to 13–1 and national champions in 1975, [2] led by sophomore quarterback Steve Mariucci, [6] later a head coach in the NFL for nine seasons.

Playoff bracket

First round
Campus sites

November 29 		Semifinals
Pioneer Bowl
Grantland Rice Bowl
December 6 		Championship
Camellia Bowl
Hughes Stadium
Sacramento, CA
December 13
         
Northern Michigan 24
Boise State * 21
Northern Michigan28
Livingston 26
Livingston 34
North Dakota * 14
Northern Michigan16
Western Kentucky 14
Western Kentucky 14
Northern Iowa * 12
Western Kentucky14
New Hampshire 3
New Hampshire 35
Lehigh * 21

*Denotes host institution

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "1975 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Winless in '74, then a title in '75". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 14, 1975. p. 10B.
  3. ↑ "2017 WKU Football Media Guide" (PDF). wkusports.com. Western Kentucky Athletics. p. 164.
  4. ↑ "2017 Ohio Valley Conference Media Guide" (PDF). ovcsports.com. p. 82.
  5. ↑ "2014 Tennessee Tech Football Guide". ttusports.com. Tennessee Tech Athletics. p. 166.
  6. ↑ "Fumbles cost Boise 24-21". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 30, 1975. p. 3B.
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