1989 NCAA Division III football season

The 1989 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 1989, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1989 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Dayton Flyers won their second Division III championship by defeating the Union (NY) Dutchmen, 17−7.

1989 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1989
Playoffs	November – December 1989
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Dayton
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

School	1988 Conference	1989 Conference
Evansville	Mid-South (NAIA)	D-III Independent
Fordham	Liberty (D-III)	I-AA Independent
Millsaps	D-III Independent	College Athletic Conference (CAC)

Conference standings

1989 Atlantic Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Gallaudet + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. John Fisher + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Marist 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Saint Francis (PA) 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Siena 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Brooklyn 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 5 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1989 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Dickinson $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 Franklin & Marshall 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Muhlenberg 4 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Ursinus 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Swarthmore 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Gettysburg 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 7 – 1 Western Maryland 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Johns Hopkins 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Centre $ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Rhodes 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Millsaps 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Sewanee 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Trinity (TX) 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1989 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Millikin $^ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Augustana (IL) ^ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Carroll (WI) 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 North Central (IL) 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Carthage 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Elmhurst 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 North Park 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Stonehill $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 MIT 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Western New England 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Bentley 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Assumption 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1989 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Alfred $ 3 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Ithaca 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. Lawrence 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 RPI 1 – 1 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Hobart 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1989 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hanover $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 Taylor 5 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 DePauw 4 – 1 – 2 6 – 2 – 2 Franklin (IN) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wabash 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Rose–Hulman 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Anderson (IN) 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Manchester 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant None of the conference members played a full round-robin; each had one or more games against non-conference opponents designated as "wild card" games that counted in the conference standings.	1989 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Simpson (IA) ^ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Loras 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wartburg 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Luther 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 6 Buena Vista 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Dubuque 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 William Penn 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Upper Iowa 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 Liberty Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. John's $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Iona 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Merchant Marine 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 C. W. Post 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Stony Brook 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Pace 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1989 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Albion + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Adrian + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hope 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Alma 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Olivet 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Kalamazoo 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 + – Conference co-champions	1989 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Lycoming +^ 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Susquehanna + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Moravian 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Widener 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Lebanon Valley 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Delaware Valley 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Albright 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Juniata 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Wilkes 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Division St. Norbert xy$^ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Beloit 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Lake Forest 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Ripon 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Lawrence 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 South Division Monmouth (IL) xy 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Coe 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Illinois College 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Cornell (IA) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Knox 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Grinnell 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Championship: St. Norbert 17, Monmouth (IL) 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1989 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 – 0 – 1 10 – 1 – 1 Concordia–Moorhead 6 – 2 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Carleton 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Hamline 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 St. Olaf 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 4 – 4 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Bethel (MN) 2 – 6 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Augsburg 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Macalester 0 – 9 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Division Lowell xy 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Plymouth State 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Curry 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Nichols 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Maine Maritime 1 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 UMass–Boston 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 South Division Bridgewater State xy$ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Framingham State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Worcester State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Westfield State 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Fitchburg State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Massachusetts Maritime 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Southeastern Massachusetts 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Bridgewater State 14, Lowell 10 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1989 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Montclair State $^ 5 – 0 – 1 9 – 2 – 1 Trenton State 4 – 1 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Ramapo 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Glassboro State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 2 Kean 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Jersey City State 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 William Paterson 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1989 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ohio Wesleyan + 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Kenyon + 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Allegheny 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wittenberg 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wooster 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Denison 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Case Western Reserve 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Oberlin 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Earlham 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1989 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T John Carroll $^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Mount Union 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Muskingum 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Baldwin–Wallace 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Heidelberg 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Otterbein 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Ohio Northern 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Marietta 1 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Capital 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Hiram *   –   3 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – did not compete for championship	1989 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Randolph–Macon $ 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Emory & Henry 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Hampden–Sydney 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Bridgewater 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion Randolph–Macon won the conference title by virtue of a head-to-head win over Emory & Henry.
1989 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Washington & Jefferson +^ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Carnegie Mellon + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Thiel 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Hiram 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Grove City 1 – 3 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Bethany (WV) 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1989 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Occidental $ 4 – 0 – 1 7 – 2 – 0 La Verne 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 5 – 0 Redlands 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 5 – 0 Whittier 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 6 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Each team played one other conference member twice. A head-to-head sweep of the two games counted as one win for the winner and one loss for the loser in the conference standings. A split of the two games counted as a tie for each team.	1989 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Wisconsin–La Crosse $^ 7 – 1 – 0 12 – 2 – 0 No. 9 Wisconsin–Stevens Point ^ 6 – 1 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 No. 22 Wisconsin–River Falls 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Platteville 5 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 No. 24 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 2 – 5 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 1 – 6 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Wisconsin–Superior 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1989 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Dayton ^   –   13 – 0 – 1 Union (NY) ^   –   13 – 1 – 0 Frostburg State   –   9 – 1 – 0 Aurora   –   8 – 1 – 0 Ferrum ^   –   11 – 2 – 0 Cortland ^   –   9 – 2 – 0 Catholic University   –   8 – 2 – 0 UC Santa Barbara   –   8 – 2 – 0 San Diego   –   7 – 2 – 0 Quincy   –   7 – 2 – 1 Hofstra ^   –   8 – 3 – 0 Drake   –   7 – 3 – 0 Wagner   –   6 – 3 – 0 Duquesne   –   6 – 4 – 0 Albany   –   5 – 4 – 0 Canisius   –   5 – 4 – 0 Mercyhurst   –   5 – 4 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   4 – 4 – 1 Wesley   –   4 – 5 – 0 Buffalo   –   4 – 6 – 0 Maryville (TN)   –   4 – 6 – 0 Menlo   –   3 – 6 – 0 Brockport   –   3 – 7 – 0 Salisbury State   –   2 – 6 – 1 Norwich   –   2 – 7 – 1 Davidson   –   2 – 8 – 0 Georgetown   –   2 – 8 – 0 Western Connecticut State   –   2 – 8 – 0 Buffalo State   –   1 – 8 – 0 Colorado College   –   1 – 8 – 0 Saint Peter's   –   0 – 7 – 0 Methodist   –   0 – 10 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

Centennial Conference – Dickinson College Athletic Conference – Centre College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Millikin Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian and Albion Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming and Susquehanna Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Bridgewater State New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State North Coast Athletic Conference – Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan Ohio Athletic Conference – John Carroll Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Randolph-Macon Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon and Washington & Jefferson Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Howard Payne and Tarleton State Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Mount Senario Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

Postseason

The 1989 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 17th 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 Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the 15th, and final, time and for the fifth consecutive year. Like the previous four tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, Alabama
	Union (NY)		42
	Cortland		14
						Union (NY)		45
						Montclair State		6
	Montclair State		23
	Hofstra		6
											Union (NY)		37
											Ferrum		21
	Lycoming		21
	Dickinson		0
						Lycoming		24
						Ferrum		49
	Ferrum		41
	Washington & Jefferson		7
																Union (NY)		7
																Dayton		17
	Dayton		35
	John Carroll		10
						Dayton		28
						Millikin		16
	Millikin		21
	Augustana (IL)		12
											Dayton		28
											Saint John's (MN)		0
	Central (IA)		55
	St. Norbert		7
						Central (IA)		24
						Saint John's (MN)		27
	Saint John's (MN)		42
	Simpson		35

See also

• 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1989 NCAA Division II football season
• 1989 NAIA Division I football season
• 1989 NAIA Division II football season