The NCAA Division III football championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division III level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. Over the past 50 seasons, the number of participants has grown to 32, with the current bracket size dating from 2005. In 2023, 28 playoff bids went to conference champions via automatic qualification, leaving just four places for at-large selections. [1]
The Division III championship game, known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl (named after football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg), was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia in 2023, where it was previously held annually from 1993 to 2017. Other Stagg Bowl sites have included Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland (2022), Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio (2021), Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas (2018–2019), Hawkins Stadium in Bradenton, Florida (1990–1992), Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama (1973–1982, 1985–1989), and Galbreath Field at the College Football Hall of Fame, when the Hall was located in Kings Island, Ohio (1983–1984).
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl was founded by the NCAA in October 1969. [2] Along with its counterpart, the Knute Rockne Bowl, it was "created by the NCAA ... for its College Division II schools, those 100-plus smallest schools in the NCAA." [3] Eligible schools were divided into an East Region (the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states) and West Region (the rest of the country), with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl serving as the championship of the West Region, and the Knute Rockne Bowl as the championship of the East Region.
The NCAA thus provided postseason opportunities for College Division teams too small to compete for spots in the four regional bowls it had established in 1964 (as of 1969, these were the Camellia Bowl for the West, the Pecan Bowl for the Midwest, the Grantland Rice Bowl for the Mideast, and the Boardwalk Bowl for the East). At least for the sport of football, this accommodation in 1969 foreshadowed the decision to subdivide the College Division four years later, into Division II and Division III.
Year | Date | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | Wittenberg | William Jewell | 27–21 | Springfield, Ohio | |
1970 | Capital | Luther | 34–21 | Columbus, Ohio | |
1971 | Samford (vacated) | Ohio Wesleyan | 20–10 | Phenix City, Alabama | |
1972 | Nov 24 | Heidelberg | Fort Valley State | 28–16 | Phenix City, Alabama |
Year | Date | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | Nov 29 | Randolph–Macon | Bridgeport | 47–28 | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
1970 | Nov 28 | Montclair State | Hampden–Sydney | 7–6 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
1971 | Nov 26 | Bridgeport | Hampden–Sydney | 17–12 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
1972 | Nov 24 | Bridgeport | Slippery Rock | 27–22 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
When the College Division was subdivided into the current Division II and Division III in 1973, the NCAA made the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl the Division III national championship game. Initially, Phenix City, Alabama (site of the 1971 and 1972 Stagg Bowls) continued as the host city.
§ - On October 10, 2019, the NCAA vacated the 2016 championship due to violations self-reported by UMHB. [4] The appeal was unsuccessful, therefore there was no champion declared for the 2016 season. In late June 2020, UMHB's 2016 and 2017 seasons' wins and records were also vacated. [5]
Programs that no longer compete in Division III are indicated in italics with a pink background.
Team | Titles | Winning Years |
---|---|---|
Mount Union | 13 | 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017 |
Wisconsin–Whitewater | 6 | 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
Augustana (IL) | 4 | 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
Ithaca | 3 | 1979, 1988, 1991 |
Mary Hardin–Baylor | 2 | 2016§, 2018, 2021 |
Saint John's (MN) | 2 | 1976, 2003 |
Wisconsin–La Crosse | 2 | 1992, 1995 |
Dayton | 2 | 1980, 1989 |
Widener | 2 | 1977, 1981 |
Wittenberg | 2 | 1973, 1975 |
North Central (IL) | 2 | 2019, 2022 |
Cortland | 1 | 2023 |
Linfield | 1 | 2004 |
Pacific Lutheran | 1 | 1999 |
Albion | 1 | 1994 |
Allegheny | 1 | 1990 |
Wagner | 1 | 1987 |
West Georgia | 1 | 1982 |
Baldwin Wallace | 1 | 1978 |
Central (IA) | 1 | 1974 |
§ October 10, 2019 the NCAA vacated the 2016 championship due to violations self-reported by Mary Hardin–Baylor. The appeal was unsuccessful, therefore there was no champion declared for the 2016 season. Mary Hardin–Baylor also had its wins and records from that season and in 2017 vacated.
Programs that no longer compete in Division III are indicated in italics with a pink background.
Team | Appearances | Years |
---|---|---|
Mount Union | 22 | 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
Wisconsin–Whitewater | 10 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019 |
Ithaca | 7 | 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1991 |
Augustana (IL) | 5 | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
Dayton | 5 | 1980, 1981, 1987, 1989, 1991 |
Rowan | 5 | 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 |
North Central (IL) | 4 | 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Mary Hardin–Baylor | 4 | 2004, 2016§, 2017, 2018, 2021 |
Wittenberg | 4 | 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979 |
Saint John's (MN) | 3 | 1976, 2001, 2003 |
Central (IA) | 3 | 1974, 1984, 1988 |
Wisconsin–La Crosse | 2 | 1992, 1995 |
Widener | 2 | 1977, 1981 |
St. Thomas (MN) | 2 | 2012, 2015 |
Lycoming | 2 | 1990, 1997 |
Washington & Jefferson | 2 | 1992, 1994 |
Union (NY) | 2 | 1983, 1989 |
Cortland | 1 | 2023 |
Linfield | 1 | 2004 |
Pacific Lutheran | 1 | 1999 |
Albion | 1 | 1994 |
Allegheny | 1 | 1990 |
Wagner | 1 | 1987 |
West Georgia | 1 | 1982 |
Baldwin Wallace | 1 | 1978 |
Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 1 | 2016 |
Trinity (TX) | 1 | 2002 |
Bridgewater (VA) | 1 | 2001 |
Salisbury State | 1 | 1986 |
Wabash | 1 | 1977 |
Towson State | 1 | 1976 |
Juniata | 1 | 1973 |
As of the upcoming 2024 season, all of the programs that no longer compete in D-III compete in Division I FCS. West Georgia is the most recent of these to move to FCS, with the 2024 season being its first at that level.
As voted by the media at the game since 2000.
Year | Player | Team | Class | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Chuck Moore | Mount Union | Senior | RB |
2001 | Chuck Moore | Mount Union | 5th year Senior | RB |
2002 | Dan Pugh | Mount Union | Senior | RB |
2003 | Blake Elliot | Saint John's (MN) | Senior | WR |
2004 | Riley Jenkins | Linfield | Senior | RB |
2005 | Nate Kmic | Mount Union | Freshman | RB |
2006 | Greg Micheli | Mount Union | Sophomore | QB |
2007 | Justin Beaver | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Senior | RB |
2008 | Greg Micheli | Mount Union | Senior | QB |
2009 | Levell Coppage | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Sophomore | RB |
2010 | Levell Coppage | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Junior | RB |
2011 | Loussaint Minett | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Sophomore | DE |
2012 | Kevin Burke | Mount Union | Sophomore | QB |
2013 | Matt Behrendt | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Junior | QB |
2014 | Matt Behrendt | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Senior | QB |
2015 | Taurice Scott | Mount Union | Senior | QB |
2016 | ||||
2017 | Nick Brish | Mount Union | Sophomore | DB |
2018 | T.J. Josey | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Senior | WR |
2019 | Ethan Greenfield | North Central | Sophomore | RB |
2021 | Micah Hackett | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Senior | LB |
2022 | Ethan Greenfield | North Central | Senior | RB |
2023 | Zac Boyes | Cortland | Junior | QB |
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (1890–1891), the University of Chicago (1892–1932), and the College of the Pacific (1933–1946), compiling a career college football record of 314–199–35 (.605). His undefeated Chicago Maroons teams of 1905 and 1913 were recognized as national champions. He was also the head basketball coach for one season at Chicago (1920–1921), and the Maroons' head baseball coach for twenty seasons.
The NCAA Division II football championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. The tournament field has subsequently been expanded three times: to 16 teams in 1988, 24 teams in 2004, and 28 teams in 2016.
The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Twenty Warhawk athletic teams compete in NCAA Division III. The Warhawks often rank among the top of NCAA Division III schools in the NACDA Director's Cup standings.
The Knute Rockne Bowl was an American college football bowl game founded by the NCAA in October 1969. Along with its counterpart, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, it was "created by the NCAA ... for its College Division II schools, those 100-plus smallest schools in the NCAA." Eligible schools were divided into an East Region and West Region, with the Knute Rockne Bowl serving as the championship of the East Region.
The Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Wisconsin–La Crosse competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Eagles play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Wisconsin–La Crosse has won three national titles: the NAIA Division II Football National Championship in 1985 and the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 1992 and 1995, all during the tenure of Roger Harring, who served as head coach from 1969 to 1999 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Wisconsin-Whitewater's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 13,500-seat Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Jace Rindahl has served as the head coach for the Warhawks since 2023, taking over for eight-year head coach Kevin Bullis.
The Randolph–Macon Yellow Jackets are the athletic teams that represent Randolph–Macon College, located in Ashland, Virginia, in NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports. The Yellow Jackets compete as members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Altogether, Randolph–Macon sponsors 18 sports, with 9 teams for each gender. The school's newest sport of men's volleyball, introduced for the 2019 season, is the only team that does not compete in the ODAC, instead competing in the Continental Volleyball Conference.
The Randolph–Macon Yellow Jackets football team represents Randolph–Macon College in the sport of American football. In 1969 Randolph–Macon defeated the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) 47–28 in the inaugural Knute Rockne Bowl laying claim to a shared College Division III National Championship with Wittenberg University which had defeated William Jewell College in the first Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. The 4 teams had been chosen by the NCAA to compete in the first ever playoffs established for Division II schools. No complete playoff was set up until 1973. The 1969 football team was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame in 2004. The Yellow Jackets football team is currently coached by Pedro Arruza and won ODAC championships in 2007, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Going into November of 2013, the football team had posted a record seven seasons with a winning record. The football team plays its home games at Day Field.
The 1982 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 1982, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1982 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama.
The 1985 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 1985, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1985 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Augustana (IL) Vikings won the third of their four consecutive Division III championships by defeating the Ithaca Bombers by a final score of 20−7.
The 1986 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 1986, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1986 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Augustana (IL) Vikings won the fourth of their four consecutive Division III championships by defeating the Salisbury State Sea Gulls by a final score of 31−3.
The 1987 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 1987, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1987 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama.
The 1988 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 1988, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1988 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Ithaca Bombers won their third Division III championship by defeating the Central (IA) Dutch, 39−24.
Garrett–Harrison Stadium is a high school football stadium in Phenix City, Russell County, Alabama, United States, and it has been used for college and high school football games. It is owned by the City of Phenix City and is the home stadium for the football team from Central High School Red Devils. Most famously, the stadium played host to the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1985 to 1989. In 2014, Tuskegee and Albany State played a neutral-site game at the stadium called the White Water Classic. It was the first college football game at the stadium since the last Division III championship held at Garrett-Harrison in 1989.
The 2015 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began on September 5, 2015, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, on December 18, 2015, at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. Mount Union, which made its 11th consecutive appearance in the title game, defeated St. Thomas (Minnesota) 49–35 to claim its 19th national title.
The 2016 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began on September 5, 2016 and ended with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, on December 16, 2016 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. However, UMHB's championship was later vacated by the NCAA.
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences. The Pac-12 or it's "legacy schools" will continue to fulfill the Pac-12 tie-in obligation through the 2025 season.
The 2019 NCAA Division III football season is the component of the 2019 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 5 and culminated on November 16.
NCAA Division II bowl games are American college football bowl games played annually among some of the highest-ranking NCAA Division II football teams not invited to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs. The games are officially recognized by the NCAA. They are held in December, and are most commonly scheduled on the first Saturday of the month, three weeks after the final games of the Division II football regular season.
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