1976 NCAA Division III football season

The 1976 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 1976, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1976 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Saint John's Johnnies won their first Division III championship, defeating the Towson State Tigers by a final score of 31−28.

1976 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1976
Playoffs	November – December 1976
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Saint John's (MN)
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference and program changes

• The Virginia College Conference (now the Old Dominion Athletic Conference) began football play in 1976.

Conference standings

1976 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Sewanee $ 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Centre 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Rose–Hulman 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Southwestern (TN) 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Principia 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1976 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carroll (WI) $^ 7 – 0 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Augustana (IL) ^ 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 No. 13 Illinois Wesleyan 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Central (IL) 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Millikin 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Carthage 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Elmhurst 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 North Park 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1976 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Alfred $ 3 – 0 – 1 4 – 2 – 2 St. Lawrence ^ 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Ithaca 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Hobart 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 RPI 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 RIT 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1976 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Evansville + 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Indiana Central 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Butler 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Valparaiso 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 DePauw 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1976 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T William Penn $ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Buena Vista ^ 5 – 1 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 Central (IA) 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Luther 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wartburg 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Simpson (IA) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Dubuque 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Upper Iowa 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1976 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T C. W. Post $ 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Merchant Marine 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Hofstra 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Seton Hall 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 2 Fordham 1 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Wagner 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1976 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Albion $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Hope 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Alma 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Kalamazoo 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 Adrian 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Olivet 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1976 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division Albright x^ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Lycoming 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Juniata 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Upsala 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wilkes 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Susquehanna 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Delaware Valley 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 Southern Division Franklin & Marshall x 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Widener 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Moravian 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Muhlenberg 5 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Western Maryland 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Dickinson 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Lebanon Valley 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Johns Hopkins 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Swarthmore 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 Ursinus 0 – 9 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Gettysburg * 1 – 1 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Ineligible due to insufficient conference games	1976 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division Ripon xy 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Lawrence 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Chicago 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Lake Forest 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Beloit 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 West Division Cornell (IA) xy$ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Knox x 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 Monmouth (IL) x 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Coe 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Carleton 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Grinnell 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Championship: Cornell (IA) 24, Ripon 22 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1976 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint John's (MN) $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 1 St. Olaf 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Hamline 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Augsburg 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Macalester 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant St. Thomas (MN) received a non-conference forfeit win from St. Cloud State.	1976 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Nichols $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Bridgewater State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Massachusetts Maritime 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Plymouth State 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Curry 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Framingham State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Maine Maritime 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 New Haven 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Boston State 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1976 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Glassboro State $ 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Montclair State 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Kean 2 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Trenton State 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 William Paterson 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Jersey City State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1976 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Baldwin–Wallace xy 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Otterbein 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Marietta 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Ohio Wesleyan 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Mount Union 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Denison 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 Red Division Wittenberg xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Ohio Northern 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Muskingum 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Capital 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Wooster 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Heidelberg 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 Not competing for championship Kenyon   –   6 – 3 – 0 Oberlin   –   1 – 6 – 0 Championship: Wittenberg 16, Baldwin–Wallace 14 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1976 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Randolph–Macon $ 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Hampden–Sydney 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Washington and Lee 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Emory & Henry 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Bridgewater 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Randolph–Macon was voted champion by conference coaches on November 23.	1976 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division East Stroudsburg xy+ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 1 West Chester 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Millersville 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Kutztown 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Cheyney 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 West Division Shippensburg xy+ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 1 Slippery Rock x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Edinboro 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Clarion 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Indiana (PA) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 California (PA) 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Lock Haven 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Championship: East Stroudsburg 14, Shippensburg 14 + – Conference co-champions x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1976 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Allegheny $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Carnegie Mellon 5 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Washington & Jefferson 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Bethany (WV) 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Case Western Reserve 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Hiram 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 John Carroll 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Thiel 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1976 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Redlands $^ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Occidental 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 La Verne 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Whittier 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1976 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 15 Wisconsin–Oshkosh + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 13 Wisconsin–Platteville + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–River Falls + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–La Crosse 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Colorado College   –   7 – 1 – 1 Maryville (TN)   –   7 – 2 – 0 Millsaps   –   7 – 2 – 0 Saint Peter's   –   5 – 2 – 0 Wabash   –   7 – 3 – 0 Canisius   –   6 – 3 – 0 Grove City   –   6 – 3 – 0 Norwich   –   6 – 3 – 0 Ashland   –   6 – 4 – 0 Rochester (NY)   –   4 – 4 – 1 Albany   –   4 – 5 – 0 Cortland   –   4 – 5 – 0 Brockport   –   3 – 5 – 1 Dayton   –   4 – 7 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   3 – 6 – 0 St. Norbert   –   2 – 8 – 0 San Diego   –   1 – 7 – 1 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   1 – 6 – 0 Bowie State   –   1 – 6 – 0 Georgetown   –   1 – 7 – 0 Plattsburgh   –   1 – 7 – 0

Conference champions

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Sewanee College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Carroll (WI) Independent College Athletic Conference – Alfred Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wiliam Penn Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion Middle Atlantic Conference – Albright (North), Franklin & Marshall (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Cornell College, Knox, and Monmouth Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Nichols New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Glassboro State Northwest Conference – Linfield Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Randolph-Macon Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – East Stroudsburg Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division III) – Fort Valley State Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Trinity (TX) Twin Rivers Conference – Concordia–St. Paul, Loras, Maranatha Baptist, Northwestern–St. Paul, and Northwestern (WI) Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Wisconsin–Platteville, and Wisconsin–River Falls

Postseason

The 1976 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the fourth 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 fourth consecutive year. Like the previous championship, eight teams competed in this edition.

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Saint John's (MN)		46
	Augustana (IL)		7
						St. John's (MN)		61
						Buena Vista		0
	Buena Vista (OT)		20
	Carroll (WI)		14
											St. John's (MN)		31
											Towson State		28
	St. Lawrence		26
	Albright		7
						St. Lawrence		36
						Towson State		38
	Towson State		14
	C.W. Post		10

See also

• 1976 NCAA Division I football season
• 1976 NCAA Division II football season
• 1976 NAIA Division I football season
• 1976 NAIA Division II football season