1983 NCAA Division III football season

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.

1983 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1983
Playoffs	November – December 1983
National championship	Galbreath Field Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
Champion	Augustana (IL)
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference and program changes

• The Centennial Conference began football play in 1983.
• Fisk Bulldogs reclassified from Division II for this season only, their final one.

Conference standings

1983 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Gettysburg + 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Swarthmore + 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Muhlenberg + 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Franklin & Marshall 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Johns Hopkins 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Western Maryland 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Ursinus 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Dickinson 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1983 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Centre + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Rose–Hulman + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Sewanee 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Southwestern (TN) 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Principia 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Fisk 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1983 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Augustana (IL) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 12 – 0 – 0 Elmhurst 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Millikin 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Carthage 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 North Central (IL) 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 North Park 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Carroll (WI) 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1983 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. Lawrence $ 3 – 0 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Hobart 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Ithaca 1 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 RPI 0 – 1 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Alfred 0 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1983 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wartburg + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Central (IA) + 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Buena Vista 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Luther 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Dubuque 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Simpson (IA) 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 William Penn 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1983 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. John's $ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Marist 3 – 1 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Pace 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Saint Peter's 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Brooklyn 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1983 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Adrian $^ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Hope 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Alma 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Albion 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Kalamazoo 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Olivet 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1983 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Susquehanna $ 7 – 0 – 1 8 – 0 – 1 Lycoming 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Widener 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Moravian 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Delaware Valley 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Albright 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Wilkes 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Juniata 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Upsala 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1983 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Division Lake Forest xy$ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Lawrence 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Ripon 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Beloit 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Chicago 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 St. Norbert   –   3 – 7 – 0 South Division Cornell (IA) xy 5 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Coe 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Illinois College 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Knox 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Monmouth (IL) 1 – 3 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Grinnell 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Lake Forest 13, Cornell 10 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1983 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 St. Thomas (MN) $^ 9 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Hamline 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Macalester 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Augsburg 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 St. Olaf 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Bethel (MN) 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Carleton 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1983 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Plymouth State + 8 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Massachusetts Maritime + 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Nichols 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Western Connecticut State 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Bridgewater State 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Western New England 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Framingham State 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Maine Maritime 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Westfield State 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Curry 0 – 9 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1983 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Trenton State + 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Montclair State + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 1 Glassboro State + 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Ramapo 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Kean 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 William Paterson 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Jersey City State 0 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1983 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 20 Winona State $ 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Moorhead State 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Minnesota Duluth 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Minnesota Morris 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 2 Northern State 1 – 3 – 2 4 – 4 – 2 Southwest State (MN) 1 – 3 – 2 3 – 6 – 2 Bemidji State 1 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1983 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Baldwin–Wallace xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Muskingum 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Mount Union 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Capital 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wooster 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Heidelberg 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Red Division Wittenberg xy 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Denison 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Ohio Northern 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Otterbein 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Ohio Wesleyan 1 – 3 – 1 1 – 6 – 2 Marietta 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Not competing for championship Kenyon   –   5 – 3 – 1 Oberlin   –   2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Baldwin–Wallace 17, Wittenberg 14 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1983 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hampden–Sydney $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Washington and Lee 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Emory & Henry 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Randolph–Macon 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Catholic University 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Maryville (TN) 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Bridgewater 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1983 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carnegie Mellon $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Case Western Reserve 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 John Carroll 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Bethany (WV) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Hiram 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Allegheny 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Thiel 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1983 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Occidental $^ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Whittier 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Redlands 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 La Verne 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1983 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 11 Wisconsin–Eau Claire $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–La Crosse ^ 6 – 1 – 1 9 – 3 – 1 Wisconsin–River Falls 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 4 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Wisconsin–Platteville 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1983 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T WPI   –   8 – 0 – 0 Hofstra ^   –   10 – 1 – 0 Salisbury State ^   –   10 – 1 – 1 Union (NY) ^   –   10 – 2 – 0 Buffalo   –   8 – 2 – 0 Millsaps   –   7 – 2 – 0 Wagner   –   8 – 2 – 1 Dayton   –   7 – 3 – 0 DePauw   –   7 – 3 – 0 Mercyhurst   –   5 – 3 – 1 Buffalo State   –   5 – 4 – 0 Canisius   –   5 – 4 – 0 Wabash   –   5 – 4 – 0 Duquesne   –   5 – 4 – 1 Norwich   –   5 – 5 – 0 San Diego   –   5 – 5 – 0 Cortland   –   4 – 5 – 0 Rochester (NY)   –   4 – 5 – 0 Grove City   –   3 – 6 – 0 Iona   –   3 – 6 – 0 Albany   –   3 – 7 – 0 Georgetown   –   2 – 6 – 0 Colorado College   –   2 – 7 – 0 Frostburg State   –   2 – 8 – 0 Fordham   –   2 – 9 – 0 Saint Francis (PA)   –   1 – 7 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   1 – 8 – 0 Brockport   –   0 – 10 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

Centennial 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

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Galbreath Field Kings Island, Mason, OH
	Union (NY)		51
	Hofstra		19
						Union (NY)		23
						Salisbury State		21
	Salisbury State		16
	Carnegie Mellon		14
											Union (NY)		17
											Augustana (IL)		21
	Augustana (IL)		22
	Adrian		21
						Augustana (IL)		21
						Wisconsin–La Crosse		15
	Wisconsin–La Crosse		43
	Occidental		42

See also

• 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1983 NCAA Division II football season