1980 NCAA Division III football season

1980 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1980
Playoffs	November – December 1980
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Dayton
←  1979  · NCAA Division IIIfootball seasons ·  1981  →

The 1980 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1980, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1980 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Dayton Flyers won their first Division III championship, defeating the defending national champion Ithaca Bombers by a final score of 63−0. ^[1]

Conference changes and new programs

• Miles College rejoined the SIAC after not fielding a team in 1979. ^[2]
• Ramapo College, a club football powerhouse, fielded a varsity team for the first time and joined the NJSAC. ^[3]

School	1979 Conference	1980 Conference
Illinois College	Independent (NAIA)	CAC
Maryville (TN)	D-III Independent	ODAC
Miles	No Program	SIAC
Ramapo College	Club Program	NJSAC

Conference standings

1980 College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Centre $ 4 – 0 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Rose–Hulman 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Sewanee 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Southwestern (TN) 2 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Illinois College 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Principia 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1980 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Elmhurst + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Augustana (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Carthage 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Millikin 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Park 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Carroll (WI) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1980 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ithaca $^ 3 – 0 – 0 12 – 1 – 0 Alfred 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 1 Hobart 1 – 2 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 RPI 0 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 St. Lawrence 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1980 Iowa Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Dubuque $^ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 1 Buena Vista 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Luther 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Central (IA) 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Simpson (IA) 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Upper Iowa 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Wartburg 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 William Penn 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1980 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Pace $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Iona 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 Saint Peter's 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Marist 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 St. John's 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Brooklyn 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1980 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Adrian $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Hope 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Albion 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Olivet 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Kalamazoo 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Alma 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1980 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division Delaware Valley x 7 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Lycoming 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Albright 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Juniata 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wilkes 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Upsala 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Susquehanna 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Southern Division Widener x^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Muhlenberg 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Franklin & Marshall 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Western Maryland 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Gettysburg 4 – 3 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Moravian 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Ursinus 3 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Swarthmore 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Dickinson 2 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Lebanon Valley 0 – 7 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 Johns Hopkins 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1980 Midwest Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Cornell (IA) + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Lawrence + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Carleton 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Coe 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Ripon 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Lake Forest 4 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Beloit 3 – 4 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Knox 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Chicago 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Grinnell 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1980 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Concordia–Moorhead $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No.16 Gustavus Adolphus 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Hamline 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 St. Olaf 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Augsburg 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Bethel (MN) 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Macalester 0 – 7 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1980 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Trenton State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Montclair State 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Glassboro State 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Ramapo 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 William Paterson 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Kean 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Jersey City State 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1980 New England Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Maine Maritime $ 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 New Haven 6 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Massachusetts Maritime 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Plymouth State 5 – 3 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Bridgewater State 5 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Boston State 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Framingham State 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Nichols 3 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Curry 0 – 8 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 Western Connecticut State 0 – 8 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1980 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Minnesota Duluth $ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Minnesota Morris ^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 1 No. 11 Moorhead State 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 St. Cloud State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Mankato State 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Winona State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Northern State 1 – 6 – 1 2 – 7 – 1 Bemidji State 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1980 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Wittenberg xy 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Ohio Northern 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Capital 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wooster 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Denison 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Ohio Wesleyan 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Muskingum 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Red Division Baldwin–Wallace xy$^ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Mount Union 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Otterbein 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Heidelberg 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Kenyon 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Marietta 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 Not competing for championship Oberlin   –   1 – 8 – 0 Championship: Baldwin–Wallace 16, Wittenberg 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1980 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Bridgewater $ 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Maryville (TN) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Randolph–Macon 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Washington and Lee 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Hampden–Sydney 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Emory & Henry 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1980 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Bethany (WV) $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Carnegie Mellon 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 John Carroll 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Thiel 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Allegheny 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Hiram 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Washington & Jefferson 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Case Western Reserve 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1980 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Redlands $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Whittier 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Occidental 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 La Verne 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1980 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Division II Morris Brown* 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Alabama A&M x 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Tuskegee 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Albany State 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Morehouse 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Division III Fort Valley State x 5 – 4 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 Savannah State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Miles 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 2 Knoxville 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Clark 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Lane 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Fisk 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Morris Brown was stripped of their division title for using ineligible players. Alabama A&M is recognized as the Division II champion by the SIAC	1980 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 14 Wisconsin–La Crosse + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 13 Wisconsin–River Falls + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Platteville + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1980 NCAA Division III independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Dayton ^   –   14 – 0 – 0 Millsaps   –   9 – 0 – 0 Wabash   –   8 – 0 – 1 Hofstra   –   8 – 2 – 0 Wagner ^   –   8 – 2 – 0 DePauw   –   7 – 2 – 1 Salisbury State   –   7 – 3 – 1 Catholic University   –   6 – 3 – 0 Canisius   –   5 – 4 – 0 Brockport   –   5 – 4 – 1 Buffalo   –   6 – 5 – 0 Albany   –   5 – 5 – 0 Georgetown   –   4 – 4 – 0 San Diego   –   5 – 5 – 0 UCF   –   4 – 4 – 1 Saint Mary's   –   5 – 6 – 0 Duquesne   –   4 – 5 – 0 Frostburg State   –   4 – 5 – 0 Grove City   –   4 – 5 – 0 Norwich   –   4 – 6 – 0 Rochester (NY)   –   3 – 5 – 1 St. Norbert   –   3 – 6 – 0 Cortland   –   3 – 7 – 0 Colorado College   –   2 – 7 – 0 Saint Francis (PA)   –   2 – 7 – 0 Union (NY)   –   1 – 7 – 0 Fordham   –   0 – 9 – 0 Merchant Marine   –   0 – 11 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Centre College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Elmhurst and Illinois Wesleyan Independent College Athletic Conference – Ithaca Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Dubuque Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Cornell College and Lawrence Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead New England Football Conference – Maine Maritime New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Trenton State Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Baldwin Wallace (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater Presidents' Athletic Conference – Bethany (WV) Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Fort Valley State Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – McMurry Twin Rivers Conference – Mount Senario Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse, Wisconsin–Platteville, Wisconsin–River Falls, and Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 1980 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the eighth annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the eighth consecutive year. Like the previous five championships, eight teams competed in this edition. ^[4]

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Ithaca		41
	Wagner		13
						Ithaca		36
						Minnesota–Morris		0
	Minnesota–Morris		41
	Dubuque		35
											Ithaca		0
											Dayton		63
	Dayton		34
	Baldwin Wallace		0
						Dayton		28
						Widener		24
	Widener		43
	Bethany (WV)		12

See also

• 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1980 NCAA Division II football season
• 1980 NAIA Division I football season
• 1980 NAIA Division II football season

References

1. "All-Time Division III Football Championship Records" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
2. "Football Won/Lost History". Miles College Athletics. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
3. "Ramapo joins NJSAC". Gloucester County Times. September 5, 1980. p. 38.
4. "1980 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved November 6, 2014.