1997 NCAA Division III football season

The 1997 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 1997, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1997 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their third, and second consecutive, Division III championship by defeating the Lycoming Warriors, 61−12.

1997 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1997
Playoffs	November – December 1997
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (3)
Gagliardi Trophy	Bill Borchert (QB), Mount Union
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Bill Borchert, quarterback from Mount Union.

Conference standings

1997 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mississippi College $   4 – 1     8 – 2   Howard Payne   3 – 2     7 – 3   Hardin–Simmons   2 – 3     7 – 3   McMurry   2 – 3     5 – 5   Austin   2 – 3     4 – 6   Sul Ross   2 – 3     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion	1997 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Western Maryland $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Dickinson   6 – 1     7 – 3   Johns Hopkins   5 – 2     7 – 3   Franklin & Marshall   4 – 3     4 – 6   Ursinus   3 – 4     4 – 6   Gettysburg   2 – 5     4 – 6   Muhlenberg   1 – 6     1 – 9   Swarthmore   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Augustana (IL) $   6 – 1     7 – 2   Illinois Wesleyan   5 – 2     7 – 2   Carthage   4 – 3     5 – 4   North Central (IL)   4 – 3     5 – 4   Millikin   4 – 3     4 – 5   Wheaton (IL)   4 – 3     4 – 5   Elmhurst   1 – 6     1 – 8   North Park   0 – 7     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion
1997 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Salve Regina $   4 – 0     7 – 2   Western New England   3 – 1     4 – 3   MIT   2 – 2     5 – 4   Nichols   1 – 3     2 – 7   Curry   0 – 4     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion	1997 Freedom Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Coast Guard $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Merchant Marine   4 – 2     7 – 2   Plymouth State   4 – 2     7 – 3   Springfield (MA)   3 – 3     4 – 5   WPI   2 – 4     4 – 6   Western Connecticut   1 – 5     4 – 6   Norwich   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Lakeland $   5 – 0     10 – 0   Concordia (WI)   4 – 1     7 – 3   MacMurray   3 – 2     8 – 2   Eureka   2 – 3     5 – 5   Concordia (IL)   1 – 4     2 – 7   Greenville   0 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion
1997 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hanover $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   DePauw   5 – 1     8 – 2   Wabash   4 – 2     6 – 4   Manchester   2 – 4     6 – 4   Rose–Hulman   2 – 4     3 – 7   Anderson (IN)   1 – 5     2 – 8   Franklin (IN)   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Simpson (IA) $^   8 – 0     12 – 1   Central (IA)   7 – 1     8 – 2   Upper Iowa   5 – 3     7 – 3   Wartburg   5 – 3     7 – 3   Loras   4 – 4     6 – 4   Luther   3 – 5     4 – 6   Buena Vista   3 – 5     3 – 7   Dubuque   1 – 7     3 – 7   William Penn   0 – 8     1 – 9   Coe   0 – 0     8 – 1   Cornell (IA)   0 – 0     6 – 3   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Adrian +   4 – 1     8 – 1   Hope +   4 – 1     6 – 3   Albion   3 – 2     6 – 3   Alma   3 – 2     6 – 3   Kalamazoo   1 – 4     3 – 6   Olivet   0 – 5     3 – 6   + – Conference co-champions
1997 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Commonwealth Albright x   5 – 0     8 – 1   Moravian   4 – 1     7 – 3   Widener   3 – 2     7 – 3   Susquehanna   2 – 3     6 – 4   Juniata   1 – 4     3 – 7   Lebanon Valley   0 – 5     0 – 10   Freedom Lycoming x^   4 – 0     12 – 1   Wilkes   3 – 1     5 – 5   Delaware Valley   2 – 2     5 – 5   King's (PA)   1 – 3     3 – 7   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   0 – 4     0 – 10   x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division Ripon x   4 – 1     6 – 3   Carroll (WI) xy$   4 – 1     5 – 5   Lawrence   2 – 3     4 – 5   St. Norbert   2 – 3     4 – 5   Beloit   2 – 3     3 – 6   Lake Forest   1 – 4     2 – 7   South Division Grinnell xy   3 – 0     5 – 5   Knox   2 – 1     5 – 4   Monmouth (IL)   1 – 2     2 – 7   Illinois College   0 – 3     1 – 8   Championship: Carroll (WI) 20, Grinnell 15 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1997 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Augsburg $^ 8 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead ^ 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Bethel (MN) 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Hamline 4 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 St. Olaf 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Carleton 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Macalester 0 – 9 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1997 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Worcester State +   7 – 1     8 – 3   Bridgewater State +   7 – 1     7 – 3   UMass Dartmouth   6 – 2     8 – 2   Maine Maritime   4 – 4     4 – 6   Westfield State   4 – 4     4 – 6   UMass–Boston   3 – 5     3 – 6   Massachusetts Maritime   3 – 5     3 – 7   Fitchburg State   1 – 7     3 – 7   Framingham State   1 – 7     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions	1997 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Amherst   7 – 1     7 – 1   Wesleyan   7 – 1     7 – 1   Williams   7 – 1     7 – 1   Trinity (CT)   5 – 3     5 – 3   Bowdoin   4 – 4     4 – 4   Middlebury   4 – 4     4 – 4   Tufts   3 – 5     3 – 5   Hamilton   2 – 6     2 – 6   Bates   1 – 7     1 – 7   Colby   0 – 8     0 – 8   No conference champion recognized	1997 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Rowan $^   5 – 0     11 – 1   TCNJ ^   4 – 1     9 – 3   Montclair State   3 – 2     6 – 4   Jersey City State   2 – 3     5 – 5   Kean   1 – 4     1 – 9   William Paterson   0 – 5     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1997 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wittenberg +   7 – 1     9 – 1   Wooster +   7 – 1     9 – 1   Allegheny +^   7 – 1     9 – 2   Denison   3 – 4     4 – 6   Ohio Wesleyan   3 – 4     4 – 6   Kenyon   3 – 5     3 – 7   Case Western Reserve   2 – 4     3 – 7   Earlham   2 – 6     2 – 8   Oberlin   0 – 8     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Willamette $^   5 – 0     13 – 1   No. 19 Linfield   4 – 1     6 – 3   No. 17 Pacific Lutheran   3 – 2     7 – 2   Lewis & Clark   2 – 3     3 – 6   Whitworth   1 – 4     2 – 7   Puget Sound   0 – 5     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1997 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount Union $^   9 – 0     14 – 0   John Carroll ^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Ohio Northern   7 – 2     8 – 2   Baldwin–Wallace   6 – 3     7 – 3   Heidelberg   5 – 4     5 – 5   Marietta   3 – 6     4 – 6   Capital   2 – 7     3 – 7   Muskingum   2 – 7     2 – 8   Otterbein   2 – 7     2 – 8   Hiram   1 – 8     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1997 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Emory & Henry +   4 – 1     8 – 2   Guilford +   4 – 1     8 – 2   Randolph–Macon +   4 – 1     8 – 2   Washington and Lee   2 – 3     4 – 6   Bridgewater   1 – 4     2 – 8   Hampden–Sydney   0 – 5     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions	1997 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Grove City $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Waynesburg 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bethany (WV) 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Alfred 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Thiel 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1997 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Redlands +   4 – 1     7 – 2   Cal Lutheran +   4 – 1     5 – 4   Whittier +   4 – 1     5 – 4   La Verne   2 – 3     2 – 7   Occidental   1 – 4     1 – 8   Claremont-Mudd   0 – 5     0 – 9   + – Conference co-champions
1997 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (TX) $^   4 – 0     10 – 1   Centre   3 – 1     6 – 3   Sewanee   1 – 3     5 – 4   Millsaps   1 – 3     3 – 7   Rhodes   1 – 3     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   MacMurray $   4 – 0     8 – 2   Westminster (MO)   3 – 1     6 – 4   Greenville   2 – 2     2 – 8   Blackburn   1 – 3     1 – 8   Principia   0 – 4     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion	1997 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   RPI $   4 – 0     9 – 1   Union (NY)   3 – 1     7 – 2   Hobart   2 – 2     6 – 4   St. Lawrence   1 – 3     2 – 7   Rochester (NY)   0 – 4     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion
1997 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wisconsin–Whitewater $^   7 – 0     9 – 1   Wisconsin–La Crosse   5 – 2     7 – 2   Wisconsin–Stout   5 – 2     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   4 – 3     7 – 3   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   3 – 4     6 – 4   Wisconsin–River Falls   3 – 4     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   1 – 6     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Platteville   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1997 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Catholic University ^   –     10 – 1   Methodist   –     9 – 1   Cortland ^   –     8 – 2   Buffalo State   –     7 – 2   Hartwick   –     7 – 2   Pomona-Pitzer   –     6 – 2   Ithaca   –     7 – 3   Wesley   –     7 – 3   Frostburg State   –     6 – 3   Brockport   –     6 – 4   Menlo   –     5 – 5   Thomas More   –     5 – 5   Aurora   –     4 – 5   Chapman   –     4 – 5   Bluffton   –     4 – 6   Ferrum   –     4 – 6   Wilmington (OH)   –     4 – 6   Colorado College   –     3 – 6   Salisbury State   –     3 – 6   Maryville (TN)   –     3 – 7   Chowan   –     2 – 8   Defiance   –     1 – 8   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mississippi College Centennial Conference – Western Maryland College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Freedom Football Conference – Coast Guard Illini-Badger Football Conference – Lakeland Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Simpson Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian Middle Atlantic Conference – Albright and Lycoming Midwest Conference – Carroll (WI) Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Augsburg New England Football Conference – Bridgewater State and Worcester State New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny, Wittenberg, and Wooster Northwest Conference – Willamette Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Emory & Henry, Guilford, and Randolph-Macon Presidents' Athletic Conference – Grove City Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran, Redlands, and Whittier Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Carnegie Mellon Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Not available Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – RPI Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 1997 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 25th 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 Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the second time. As of 2014, Salem has remained the yearly host of the Stagg Bowl. Like the previous twelve tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.

Playoff bracket

	Regionals Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
	Mount Union		34
	Allegheny		30
						Mount Union		59
						John Carroll		7
	John Carroll		30
	Hanover		20
											Mount Union		54
											Simpson		7
	Simpson		34
	Wisconsin–Whitewater		31
						Simpson		61
						Augsburg		21
	Augsburg		34
	Concordia–Moorhead		22
																Mount Union		61
																Lycoming		12
	Lycoming		27
	Western Maryland		13
						Lycoming		46
						Trinity (TX)		26
	Trinity (TX)		44
	Catholic University		33
											Lycoming		28
											Rowan		20
	Rowan		43
	Coast Guard		0
						Rowan		13
						TCNJ		7
	TCNJ		34
	Cortland		30

See also

• 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1997 NCAA Division II football season