The 1983 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 1983, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1983 at Galbreath Field in Kings Island, Mason, Ohio. The Augustana (IL) Vikings won their first of four consecutive Division III championships by defeating the Union Dutchmen by a final score of 21−17.

Conference and program changes The Centennial Conference began football play in 1983. 8 schools left the Middle Atlantic Conference to join the new conference. Two schools from the MAC also became independents. Fisk reclassified from Division II for this season only, their final one. St. Norbert provisionally joined the Midwest Conference this year, becoming full members in 1984. School 1982 conference 1983 conference Carleton Midwest MIAC Dickinson MAC Centennial Fairleigh Dickinson- Florham MAC Independent Fisk SIAC CAC Franklin & Marshall MAC Centennial Gettysburg MAC CentennialIllinois CollegeCACMidwest Johns Hopkins MAC Centennial Kentucky Wesleyan Revived Program Independent Lebanon Valley MAC Independent Muhlenberg MAC Centennial St. Norbert Independent Midwest Swarthmore MAC Centennial Ursinus MAC Centennial Western Maryland MAC Centennial

Conference standings

Conference champions Conference championsCentennial Conference – Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, and Swarthmore College Athletic Conference – Centre and Rose–Hulman College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Independent College Athletic Conference – St. Lawrence Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) and Wartburg Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian Middle Atlantic Conference – Susquehanna Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lake Forest Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – St. Thomas (MN) New England Football Conference – Massachusetts Maritime and Plymouth State New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Glassboro State, Montclair State, and Trenton State Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference – Baldwin Wallace (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Hampden–Sydney Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – McMurry and Sul Ross Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Mount Senario and Northwestern (WI) Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Eau Claire

Postseason The 1983 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 11th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Galbreath Field at the College Football Hall of Fame in Kings Island, Mason, Ohio for the first time. Like the previous eight championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

Playoff bracket

See also 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season 1983 NCAA Division II football season

References