1998 NCAA Division III football season

The 1998 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 1998, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1998 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their fourth, and third consecutive, Division III championship by defeating the Rowan Profs, 44−24.

1998 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1998
Playoffs	November – December 1998
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (4)
Gagliardi Trophy	Scott Hvistendahl (WR, P), Augsburg
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Scott Hvistendahl, wide receiver and punter from Augsburg.

Conference standings

1998 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hardin–Simmons $   7 – 0     9 – 1   McMurry   6 – 1     8 – 2   Howard Payne   5 – 2     8 – 2   Austin   4 – 3     4 – 6   Mississippi College   2 – 5     4 – 6   Texas Lutheran   2 – 5     4 – 6   Mary Hardin–Baylor   2 – 5     3 – 7   Sul Ross   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion	1998 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wesley $   3 – 0     7 – 3   Methodist   3 – 1     7 – 3   Frostburg State   2 – 2     7 – 3   Chowan   2 – 3     5 – 5   Ferrum   2 – 3     6 – 4   Salisbury State   1 – 4     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion	1998 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Western Maryland $^   7 – 0     10 – 2   Dickinson   5 – 2     8 – 3   Johns Hopkins   5 – 2     7 – 3   Franklin & Marshall   4 – 3     4 – 6   Muhlenberg   3 – 4     5 – 5   Gettysburg   2 – 5     3 – 7   Ursinus   2 – 5     3 – 7   Swarthmore   0 – 7     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1998 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Millikin $^   6 – 1     8 – 2   Augustana (IL)   5 – 2     7 – 2   Illinois Wesleyan   5 – 2     7 – 2   Wheaton (IL)   5 – 2     6 – 3   Carthage   4 – 3     5 – 4   Elmhurst   1 – 6     3 – 6   North Central (IL)   1 – 6     3 – 6   North Park   1 – 6     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Freedom Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Springfield (MA) $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Plymouth State   4 – 2     7 – 4   Merchant Marine   4 – 2     6 – 3   Western Connecticut   3 – 3     5 – 5   WPI   3 – 3     4 – 5   Norwich   1 – 5     5 – 6   Coast Guard   0 – 6     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wabash $   7 – 0     9 – 1   Hanover   6 – 1     9 – 1   Franklin (IN)   4 – 3     6 – 4   Bluffton   4 – 3     5 – 5   Wilmington (OH)   3 – 4     4 – 6   Manchester   2 – 5     2 – 8   Mount St. Joseph   2 – 5     2 – 8   Anderson (IN)   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion
1998 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Aurora $   7 – 0     7 – 3   MacMurray   6 – 1     9 – 1   Concordia (WI)   5 – 2     7 – 3   Lakeland   4 – 3     7 – 3   Benedictine (IL)   3 – 4     3 – 7   Eureka   2 – 5     4 – 6   Greenville   1 – 6     2 – 8   Concordia (IL)   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion	1998 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Central (IA) $^   10 – 0     10 – 1   Wartburg   9 – 1     9 – 1   Buena Vista   7 – 3     7 – 3   Simpson (IA)   7 – 3     7 – 3   Coe   5 – 5     5 – 5   Upper Iowa   5 – 5     5 – 5   Cornell (IA)   4 – 6     4 – 6   Loras   4 – 6     4 – 6   Luther   3 – 7     3 – 7   William Penn   1 – 9     1 – 9   Dubuque   0 – 10     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Albion $^   6 – 0     8 – 2   Hope   4 – 2     5 – 4   Adrian   3 – 3     5 – 4   Alma   3 – 3     5 – 4   Olivet   2 – 4     5 – 4   Kalamazoo   2 – 4     4 – 5   Defiance   1 – 5     3 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1998 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Commonwealth Widener x   4 – 1     8 – 2   Susquehanna x   4 – 1     6 – 3   Juniata   3 – 2     5 – 5   Albright   2 – 3     4 – 6   Moravian   2 – 3     3 – 7   Lebanon Valley   0 – 5     1 – 9   Freedom Lycoming x^   4 – 0     10 – 1   Wilkes   3 – 1     5 – 4   King's (PA)   2 – 2     3 – 7   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   1 – 3     2 – 8   Delaware Valley   0 – 4     3 – 7   x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Grinnell $   9 – 0     10 – 0   Beloit   7 – 2     7 – 3   Ripon   7 – 2     7 – 3   Knox   6 – 3     6 – 4   St. Norbert   5 – 4     5 – 5   Lake Forest   4 – 5     4 – 6   Carroll (WI)   3 – 6     4 – 6   Lawrence   2 – 7     2 – 8   Monmouth (IL)   2 – 7     2 – 8   Illinois College   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion	1998 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint John's (MN) $^ 9 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Bethel (MN) 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Augsburg 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Hamline 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 St. Olaf 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Carleton 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Macalester 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1998 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Blue Division Salve Regina x   6 – 0     10 – 1   UMass Dartmouth   5 – 1     8 – 2   Curry   4 – 2     6 – 4   Western New England   3 – 3     5 – 4   Nichols   2 – 4     5 – 5   MIT   1 – 5     1 – 8   UMass–Boston   0 – 6     0 – 10   Red Division Bridgewater State x   5 – 1     7 – 3   Maine Maritime x   5 – 1     5 – 5   Massachusetts Maritime   4 – 2     6 – 4   Worcester State   3 – 3     4 – 6   Westfield State   2 – 4     5 – 5   Fitchburg State   2 – 4     3 – 7   Framingham State   0 – 6     2 – 8   x – Division champion/co-champions	1998 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Williams   8 – 0     8 – 0   Tufts   7 – 1     7 – 1   Wesleyan   6 – 2     6 – 2   Amherst   5 – 3     5 – 3   Bowdoin   5 – 3     5 – 3   Middlebury   3 – 5     3 – 5   Trinity (CT)   2 – 6     2 – 6   Colby   2 – 6     2 – 6   Bates   1 – 7     1 – 7   Hamilton   1 – 7     1 – 7   No conference champion recognized	1998 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   TCNJ $^   5 – 0     8 – 3   Rowan ^   4 – 1     10 – 3   Montclair State   3 – 2     8 – 3   New Jersey City   2 – 3     6 – 4   Kean   1 – 4     1 – 9   William Paterson   0 – 5     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1998 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wittenberg $^   8 – 0     11 – 1   Allegheny   6 – 1     8 – 2   Wooster   6 – 2     8 – 2   Case Western Reserve   4 – 2     5 – 5   Ohio Wesleyan   4 – 4     6 – 4   Kenyon   2 – 5     4 – 6   Denison   2 – 6     3 – 7   Earlham   2 – 6     2 – 8   Oberlin   0 – 8     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Pacific Lutheran $^   5 – 0     8 – 2   Linfield   4 – 1     7 – 2   Willamette   3 – 2     7 – 3   Whitworth   2 – 3     5 – 5   Puget Sound   1 – 4     2 – 8   Lewis & Clark   0 – 5     1 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount Union $^   9 – 0     14 – 0   Baldwin–Wallace   8 – 1     8 – 2   John Carroll   7 – 2     8 – 2   Ohio Northern   6 – 3     7 – 3   Marietta   5 – 4     6 – 4   Muskingum   4 – 5     5 – 5   Otterbein   3 – 6     4 – 6   Heidelberg   2 – 7     2 – 8   Hiram   1 – 8     2 – 8   Capital   0 – 9     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1998 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Emory & Henry $   5 – 0     10 – 0   Randolph–Macon   4 – 1     7 – 3   Guilford   3 – 2     4 – 6   Hampden–Sydney   2 – 3     3 – 7   Washington and Lee   1 – 4     4 – 6   Bridgewater   0 – 5     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington & Jefferson +   3 – 1     5 – 4   Waynesburg +   3 – 1     5 – 4   Grove City +   3 – 1     5 – 5   Bethany (WV)   1 – 3     2 – 8   Thiel   0 – 4     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions	1998 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Whittier $   5 – 0     7 – 2   Redlands   4 – 1     7 – 2   Cal Lutheran   2 – 3     5 – 4   La Verne   2 – 3     4 – 5   Claremont-Mudd   1 – 4     2 – 7   Occidental   1 – 4     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion
1998 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (TX) $^   6 – 0     12 – 1   DePauw   5 – 1     7 – 3   Rhodes   4 – 2     5 – 5   Centre   3 – 3     3 – 7   Rose–Hulman   2 – 4     3 – 7   Sewanee   1 – 5     2 – 7   Millsaps   0 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   MacMurray $   4 – 0     9 – 1   Westminster (MO)   3 – 1     9 – 1   Blackburn   2 – 2     4 – 5   Greenville   1 – 3     2 – 8   Principia   0 – 4     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion	1998 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   RPI +   3 – 1     7 – 2   Hobart +   3 – 1     6 – 3   Union (NY)   2 – 2     6 – 3   Rochester (NY)   1 – 3     1 – 8   St. Lawrence   1 – 3     1 – 8   + – Conference co-champions
1998 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wisconsin–Stevens Point +   5 – 2     7 – 2   Wisconsin–Whitewater +   5 – 2     7 – 2   Wisconsin–Eau Claire +^   5 – 2     10 – 3   Wisconsin–River Falls +   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wisconsin–La Crosse   4 – 3     4 – 5   Wisconsin–Stout   3 – 4     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   2 – 6     4 – 6   Wisconsin–Platteville   0 – 7     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1998 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Catholic University ^   –     10 – 1   Ithaca   –     9 – 2   Hartwick   –     9 – 2   Buffalo State ^   –     9 – 3   Pomona-Pitzer   –     6 – 2   Maranatha Baptist   –     6 – 4   Alfred   –     5 – 4   Maryville (TN)   –     4 – 6   Cortland   –     4 – 6   Brockport   –     3 – 6   Colorado College   –     3 – 6   Thomas More   –     3 – 7   Chapman   –     2 – 7   St. John Fisher   –     2 – 7   Menlo   –     2 – 8   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Hardin–Simmons Centennial Conference – Western Maryland College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Millikin Freedom Football Conference – Springfield Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Wabash Illini-Badger Football Conference – Aurora Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming Midwest Conference – Grinnell Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Salve Regina (Blue Division), Bridgewater State (Red Division) New Jersey Athletic Conference – TCNJ North Coast Athletic Conference – Wittenberg Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Emory & Henry Presidents' Athletic Conference – Grove City, Washington & Jefferson, and Waynesburg Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Whittier Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Chicago Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Maranatha Baptist, Martin Luther, and Mount Senario Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – RPI Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Wisconsin–River Falls, Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 1998 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 26th 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. This was the final bracket to feature sixteen teams before expanding to 28 teams in 1999.

Playoff bracket

	Regionals Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
	Mount Union		21
	Albion		19
						Mount Union		21
						Wittenberg		19
	Wittenberg		13
	Millikin		10
											Mount Union		34
											Trinity (TX)		29
	Lycoming		49
	Catholic University		14
						Lycoming		21
						Trinity (TX)		37
	Trinity (TX)		30
	Western Maryland		20
																Mount Union		44
																Rowan		24
	Wisconsin–Eau Claire		28
	Central (IA)		21
						Wisconsin–Eau Claire		10
						Saint John's (MN)		3
	Saint John's (MN)		33
	Pacific Lutheran		20
											Wisconsin–Eau Claire		19
											Rowan		22
	Buffalo State		38
	Springfield		35
						Buffalo State		17
						Rowan		19
	Rowan		26
	TCNJ		2

Final NCAA Regional Poll

East Region

Team	Record
1. Springfield(Mass.)	9–0
2. Ithaca	8–1
3. New Jersey	7–2
4. Rowan	6–2
5. Buffalo State	7–2
6. Montclair State	7–2

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Hartwick, Hobart, Rensselaer Polytechnic, and Salve Regina.

South Region

Team	Record
1. Lycoming	9–0
2. Trinity(TX)	9–0
3. Western Maryland	9–0
4. Catholic	9–0
5. Emory and Henry	9–0
6. Hardin-Simmons	8–1

Others receiving votes: McMurry, Pomona-Pitzer, Westminster, and Widener.

North Region

Team	Record
1. Mt. Union	9–0
2. Wittenberg	9–0
3. Wabash	9–0
4. Baldwin-Wallace	8–1
5. Albion	8–1
6. Millikin	7–1

Others receiving votes: Allegheny, Hanover, John Carroll, and MacMurray.

West Region

Team	Record
1. Central(IA)	9–0
2. St. John's	9–0
3. Pacific Lutheran	7–1
4. Wisconsin-Eau Claire	7–2
5. Gustavus Adolphus	8–1
6. Wisconsin-Stevens Point	6–2

Others receiving votes: Grinnell, Linfield, Wartburg, and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

*This was the final time the NCAA conducted a regional poll for Division III, starting with the 1999 season, American Football Coaches Association conducted a top 25 coaches poll.

Awards

Gagliardi Trophy: Scott Hvistendahl, Augsburg

AFCA Coach of the Year: Larry Kehres, Mount Union

AFCA Regional Coach of the Year: Region 1: Mike DeLong, Springfield Region 2: Frank Girardi, Lycoming Region 3: Steve Mohr, Trinity(TX) Region 4: Joe Fincham, Wittenberg Region 5: Rich Kacmarynski, Central(IA)

See also

• 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1998 NCAA Division II football season