1977 NCAA Division III football season

The 1977 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 1977, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1977 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Widener Pioneers won their first Division III championship, defeating the Wabash Little Giants by a final score of 39−36.

1977 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1977
Playoffs	November – December 1977
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Widener
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference standings

1977 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Southwestern (TN) $ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 Rose–Hulman 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Centre 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Principia 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Sewanee 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1977 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Illinois Wesleyan + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Millikin + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Carthage 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Elmhurst 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Augustana (IL) 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Carroll (WI) 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 North Park 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1977 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ithaca $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Hobart 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 St. Lawrence 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 RPI 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Alfred 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 RIT 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1977 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) + 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Butler + 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Indiana Central 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Valparaiso 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Evansville 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1977 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Wartburg 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Buena Vista 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 William Penn 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Luther 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Dubuque 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Simpson (IA) 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Upper Iowa 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1977 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Fordham $ 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 C. W. Post 3 – 0 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Hofstra 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Merchant Marine 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Wagner 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Seton Hall 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1977 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Albion $^ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Hope 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Adrian 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Alma 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Kalamazoo 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Olivet 0 – 4 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1977 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division Albright x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Upsala 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Lycoming 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Juniata 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wilkes 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Susquehanna 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Delaware Valley 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Southern Division Widener x^ 6 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Franklin & Marshall 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Dickinson 5 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Muhlenberg 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Swarthmore 4 – 4 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Lebanon Valley 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Western Maryland 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Moravian 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Ursinus 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Johns Hopkins 0 – 8 – 1 1 – 8 – 1 Gettysburg * 1 – 1 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Ineligible due to insufficient conference games	1977 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division Ripon xy$ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Lawrence 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Lake Forest 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Chicago 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Beloit 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 West Division Cornell (IA) xy 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Coe 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Grinnell 1 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Knox 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Carleton 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Championship: Ripon 10, Cornell (IA) 7 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1977 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint John's (MN) $^ 7 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Augsburg 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 St. Olaf 2 – 4 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Hamline 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Macalester 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1977 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Massachusetts Maritime $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Bridgewater State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Maine Maritime 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Boston State 4 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Curry 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Nichols 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 New Haven 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Framingham State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Plymouth State 1 – 6 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1977 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Glassboro State $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Montclair State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Trenton State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Kean 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 William Paterson 1 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Jersey City State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1977 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Minnesota Morris $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Bemidji State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Moorhead State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Minnesota Duluth 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. Cloud State 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Michigan Tech 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Winona State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1977 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Baldwin–Wallace xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Otterbein 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Marietta 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Mount Union 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Ohio Wesleyan 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Denison 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 1 Red Division Wittenberg xy 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Muskingum 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wooster 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Capital 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Ohio Northern 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Heidelberg 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Not competing for championship Kenyon   –   4 – 5 – 0 Oberlin   –   1 – 7 – 0 Championship: Baldwin–Wallace 14, Wittenberg 7 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1977 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hampden–Sydney $^ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Randolph–Macon 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Emory & Henry 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Bridgewater 0 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1977 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division No. 4 Millersville xy 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Kutztown 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 East Stroudsburg 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Cheyney 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 West Division No. 8 Clarion xy$ 5 – 0 – 1 9 – 0 – 1 Shippensburg 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Slippery Rock 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Lock Haven 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Indiana (PA) 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Edinboro 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 California (PA) 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Championship: Clarion 25, Millersville 24 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1977 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carnegie Mellon $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Allegheny 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Case Western Reserve 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Hiram 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Thiel 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 Bethany (WV) 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 John Carroll 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1977 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Redlands $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 No. T–14 Whittier 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Occidental 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 La Verne 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Redlands forfeited two non-conference wins. Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1977 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Wisconsin–Stevens Point $^ 7 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–La Crosse 5 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 2 Wisconsin–Platteville 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–River Falls 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1977 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wabash ^   –   11 – 2 – 0 Albany ^   –   9 – 2 – 0 Norwich   –   7 – 2 – 0 Maryville (TN)   –   6 – 2 – 0 Dayton   –   8 – 3 – 0 Canisius   –   5 – 2 – 2 Rochester (NY)   –   6 – 3 – 0 Ashland   –   6 – 4 – 0 Grove City   –   6 – 4 – 0 James Madison   –   5 – 5 – 0 Salisbury State   –   5 – 5 – 0 Brockport   –   4 – 5 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   4 – 5 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   4 – 5 – 0 Colorado College   –   3 – 6 – 0 Union (NY)   –   2 – 5 – 1 Bowie State   –   3 – 7 – 0 San Diego   –   3 – 7 – 0 Saint Peter's   –   2 – 5 – 0 Millsaps   –   2 – 6 – 0 Georgetown   –   2 – 7 – 0 Cortland   –   2 – 8 – 0 Plattsburgh   –   1 – 6 – 1 DePauw   –   1 – 9 – 0 St. Norbert   –   0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Southwestern at Memphis College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin Independent College Athletic Conference – Champion Unknown Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion Middle Atlantic Conference – Albright (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Ripon Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Massachusetts Maritime New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Glassboro State Northwest Conference – Linfield Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Hampden–Sydney Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Clarion Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division III) – Clark Atlanta and Miles Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Tarleton State Twin Rivers Conference – Concordia–St. Paul Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Stevens Point

Postseason

The 1977 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the fifth 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 fifth consecutive year. Like the previous two championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Minnesota–Morris		13
	Albion		10
						Minnesota–Morris		21
						Wabash		37
	Wabash		20
	Saint John's (MN)		9
											Wabash		36
											Widener		39
	Widener		19
	Central (IA)		0
						Widener		33
						Albany		15
	Albany		51
	Hampden–Sydney		41

See also

• 1977 NCAA Division I football season
• 1977 NCAA Division II football season
• 1977 NAIA Division I football season
• 1977 NAIA Division II football season