2002 NCAA Division III football season

The 2002 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 2002, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2002 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their seventh, and third consecutive, Division III championship by defeating the Trinity (TX) Tigers, 48−7.

2002 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2002
Playoffs	November – December 2002
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (7)
Gagliardi Trophy	Dan Pugh (RB), Mount Union
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Dan Pugh, running back from Mount Union.

Conference changes and new programs

Name changes

• Before the start of the season, Western Maryland College changed its name to McDaniel College. Its football program thus changed from the Western Maryland Green Terror to the McDaniel Green Terror. The team remained a member of the Centennial Conference.

Conference standings

2002 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   9 – 0     10 – 1   Howard Payne   8 – 1     9 – 1   Hardin–Simmons   7 – 2     8 – 2   East Texas Baptist   6 – 3     6 – 4   Mississippi College   4 – 5     4 – 6   Austin *   4 – 5     4 – 6   Louisiana College   3 – 6     4 – 6   Texas Lutheran   2 – 7     2 – 8   McMurry *   0 – 9     0 – 10   Sul Ross *   2 – 7     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Sul Ross forfeited wins over Austin and McMurry for use of ineligible player, but season records stood.	2002 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Frostburg State $   3 – 0     6 – 5   Salisbury ^   2 – 1     9 – 2   Wesley   1 – 2     5 – 5   Apprentice §   0 – 3     5 – 5   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant § – Not an NCAA member	2002 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Muhlenberg +^   5 – 1     10 – 2   Johns Hopkins +   5 – 1     9 – 2   McDaniel +   5 – 1     9 – 2   Dickinson   3 – 3     5 – 5   Franklin & Marshall   2 – 4     4 – 6   Gettysburg   1 – 5     4 – 6   Ursinus   0 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wheaton (IL) $^   7 – 0     10 – 2   Augustana (IL)   6 – 1     7 – 2   Millikin   4 – 3     7 – 3   North Central (IL)   4 – 3     6 – 4   Illinois Wesleyan   3 – 4     6 – 4   Carthage   3 – 4     4 – 6   Elmhurst   1 – 6     3 – 7   North Park   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Dixie Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Christopher Newport +^   5 – 1     6 – 5   Ferrum +   5 – 1     5 – 5   Shenandoah   4 – 2     5 – 5   Greensboro   4 – 2     4 – 6   Methodist   2 – 4     3 – 7   Averett   1 – 5     2 – 7   Chowan   0 – 6     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ithaca $   4 – 0     7 – 3   Hartwick   3 – 1     8 – 2   St. John Fisher   2 – 2     6 – 4   Alfred   1 – 3     4 – 6   Utica   0 – 4     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion
2002 Freedom Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Springfield (MA) $^   6 – 0     8 – 2   Merchant Marine   5 – 1     8 – 3   Western Connecticut   4 – 2     7 – 3   WPI   3 – 3     4 – 6   Norwich   2 – 4     4 – 6   Coast Guard   1 – 5     2 – 7   Plymouth State   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hanover $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   Anderson (IN)   5 – 1     7 – 3   Mount St. Joseph   4 – 2     5 – 5   Manchester   2 – 4     3 – 7   Franklin (IN)   2 – 4     2 – 8   Bluffton   1 – 5     3 – 7   Defiance   1 – 5     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   MacMurray $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Concordia (WI)   6 – 1     8 – 2   Aurora   5 – 2     5 – 4   Lakeland   4 – 3     6 – 4   Benedictine (IL)   3 – 4     4 – 6   Eureka   2 – 5     2 – 8   Greenville   1 – 6     1 – 9   Concordia (IL)   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Coe +^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Wartburg +^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Central (IA) +   8 – 1     8 – 2   Simpson (IA)   6 – 3     6 – 4   Loras   4 – 5     5 – 5   Cornell (IA)   3 – 6     4 – 6   Luther   3 – 6     4 – 6   Buena Vista   3 – 6     3 – 7   Upper Iowa   2 – 7     2 – 8   Dubuque   0 – 9     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Alma $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Hope   4 – 2     5 – 5   Adrian   3 – 3     6 – 4   Olivet   3 – 3     5 – 4   Albion   3 – 3     5 – 5   Kalamazoo   2 – 5     4 – 5   Wisconsin Lutheran   0 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   King's (PA) $^   8 – 1     9 – 3   Widener   8 – 1     9 – 1   Moravian   7 – 2     7 – 4   Lycoming   6 – 3     6 – 3   Wilkes   5 – 4     7 – 4   Susquehanna   5 – 4     5 – 5   Juniata   4 – 5     5 – 5   Albright   2 – 7     2 – 8   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   2 – 7     2 – 8   Delaware Valley   1 – 8     2 – 8   Lebanon Valley   1 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   St. Norbert +^   8 – 1     9 – 1   Lake Forest +^   8 – 1     9 – 2   Ripon   7 – 2     7 – 3   Beloit   5 – 4     6 – 4   Knox   5 – 4     6 – 4   Monmouth (IL)   5 – 4     5 – 5   Grinnell   4 – 5     4 – 6   Illinois College   2 – 7     3 – 7   Carroll (WI)   1 – 8     1 – 9   Lawrence   0 – 9     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 12 – 2 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Bethel (MN) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 St. Olaf 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Hamline 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Augsburg 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Carleton 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Westfield State xy   6 – 0     8 – 3   Worcester State   5 – 1     9 – 2   Fitchburg State   4 – 2     5 – 4   Bridgewater State   3 – 3     4 – 5   Framingham State   1 – 5     1 – 8   Maine Maritime   1 – 5     1 – 8   Massachusetts Maritime   1 – 5     1 – 8   Boyd Division UMass Dartmouth xy$^   5 – 0     11 – 1   Curry   3 – 2     7 – 3   Nichols   3 – 2     5 – 4   MIT   2 – 3     4 – 5   Salve Regina   2 – 3     2 – 7   Western New England   0 – 5     1 – 8   Championship: UMass Dartmouth 16, Westfield State 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (CT) +   7 – 1     7 – 1   Williams +   7 – 1     7 – 1   Amherst   6 – 2     6 – 2   Wesleyan   5 – 3     5 – 3   Colby   4 – 4     4 – 4   Middlebury   4 – 4     4 – 4   Bates   3 – 5     3 – 5   Tufts   3 – 5     3 – 5   Bowdoin   1 – 7     1 – 7   Hamilton   0 – 8     0 – 8   + – Conference co-champions	2002 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Rowan $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   Cortland   4 – 2     9 – 2   TCNJ   4 – 2     6 – 3   Montclair State   4 – 2     5 – 5   Kean   2 – 4     4 – 6   New Jersey City   1 – 5     1 – 8   William Paterson   0 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wabash $^   7 – 0     12 – 1   Wittenberg ^   6 – 1     10 – 2   Wooster   5 – 2     8 – 2   Allegheny   4 – 3     5 – 5   Earlham   4 – 3     4 – 6   Ohio Wesleyan   3 – 4     5 – 5   Oberlin   3 – 4     3 – 7   Denison   2 – 5     2 – 8   Kenyon   1 – 6     1 – 9   Hiram   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Linfield $^   5 – 0     10 – 1   Whitworth   3 – 2     7 – 3   Willamette   3 – 2     6 – 3   Pacific Lutheran   3 – 2     5 – 4   Lewis & Clark   1 – 4     3 – 6   Puget Sound   0 – 5     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount Union $^   9 – 0     14 – 0   John Carroll ^   8 – 1     12 – 2   Baldwin–Wallace   7 – 2     8 – 2   Capital   6 – 3     6 – 4   Ohio Northern   5 – 4     5 – 5   Muskingum   3 – 6     3 – 7   Marietta   2 – 7     3 – 7   Wilmington (OH)   2 – 7     3 – 7   Heidelberg   2 – 7     2 – 8   Otterbein   1 – 8     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bridgewater $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   Hampden–Sydney   5 – 1     8 – 2   Randolph–Macon   3 – 3     6 – 4   Washington and Lee   3 – 3     5 – 5   Catholic University   2 – 4     4 – 6   Emory & Henry   2 – 4     4 – 6   Guilford   0 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington & Jefferson $^   5 – 0     9 – 3   Westminster (PA)   4 – 1     6 – 4   Waynesburg   2 – 3     5 – 4   Thiel   2 – 3     3 – 7   Bethany (WV)   1 – 4     3 – 7   Grove City   1 – 4     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Redlands $^   5 – 0     7 – 3   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps   4 – 1     7 – 2   Cal Lutheran   3 – 2     4 – 5   Occidental   1 – 4     5 – 4   La Verne   1 – 4     3 – 5   Whittier   1 – 4     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (TX) $^   6 – 0     14 – 1   DePauw   5 – 1     7 – 3   Sewanee   4 – 2     5 – 5   Centre   2 – 4     6 – 4   Rose–Hulman   2 – 4     3 – 7   Rhodes   1 – 5     4 – 6   Millsaps   1 – 5     3 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 University Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington University $   3 – 0     6 – 4   Case Western Reserve   1 – 2     6 – 4   Carnegie Mellon   1 – 2     5 – 5   Chicago   1 – 2     4 – 5   $ – Conference champion	2002 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Northwestern (MN) x   3 – 0     8 – 2   Martin Luther   2 – 1     6 – 3   Crown   1 – 2     2 – 7   Trinity Bible   0 – 3     0 – 9   South Maranatha Baptist x   4 – 0     6 – 3   Westminster (MO)   3 – 1     7 – 2   Principia   2 – 2     5 – 4   Rockford   1 – 3     4 – 6   Blackburn   0 – 4     1 – 8   x – Division champion/co-champions	2002 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hobart $^   4 – 0     8 – 2   Union (NY)   3 – 1     5 – 5   RPI   2 – 2     8 – 2   Rochester (NY)   1 – 3     2 – 8   St. Lawrence   0 – 4     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2002 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wisconsin–La Crosse $^   6 – 1     7 – 4   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   5 – 2     8 – 2   Wisconsin–Stout   4 – 3     7 – 3   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   4 – 3     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Whitewater   4 – 3     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   2 – 5     4 – 6   Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 5     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Platteville   1 – 6     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2002 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Brockport ^   –     10 – 3   Thomas More   –     7 – 3   Macalester   –     5 – 5   Menlo   –     5 – 5   Pomona-Pitzer   –     4 – 4   Chapman   –     3 – 7   Mount Ida   –     2 – 7   Colorado College   –     1 – 8   Buffalo State   –     1 – 9   Maryville (TN)   –     0 – 10   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor Atlantic Central Football Conference – Frostburg State Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, and Muhlenberg College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Wheaton (IL) Dixie Intercollegiate Football Conference – Christopher Newport and Ferrum Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca Freedom Football Conference – Springfield Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover Illini-Badger Football Conference – MacMurray Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA), Coe, and Wartburg Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Alma Middle Atlantic Conference – King's College and Widener Midwest Conference – Lake Forest and St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Westfield State (Bogan Division), UMass Dartmouth (Boyd Division) Championship Game: UMass Dartmouth 16, Westfield State 0 New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT) and Williams New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hobart Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

Postseason

The 2002 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 30th 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 10th time. This was the fourth bracket to feature 28 teams since last expanding in 1999.

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Second Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
						Mount Union		42
	Wheaton (IL)		42			Wheaton (IL)		21
	Alma		14								Mount Union		45
	Wabash		42								Wabash		16
	MacMurray		7			Wabash		25
	Wittenberg		34			Wittenberg		14
	Hanover		33													Mount Union		57
																John Carroll		19
						Rowan		12
	Brockport		16			Brockport		15
	Springfield		0								Brockport		10
	John Carroll		27								John Carroll		16*
	Hobart		7			John Carroll		21
	Muhlenberg		56			Muhlenberg		10
	UMass Dartmouth		6																		Mount Union		48
																					Trinity (TX)		7
						Linfield		52
	Wartburg		45			Wartburg		15
	Lake Forest		0								Linfield		14
	Saint John's (MN)		31								Saint John's (MN)		21
	Redlands		24			Saint John's (MN)		45
	Coe		21			Coe		14
	UW–La Crosse		18													Saint John's (MN)		34
																Trinity (TX)		41
						Bridgewater (VA)		19
	King's (PA)		28			King's (PA)		17
	Salisbury State		0								Bridgewater (VA)		32
	Trinity (TX)		48								Trinity (TX)		38
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		38			Trinity (TX)		45
	Wash. & Jefferson		24			Wash. & Jefferson		10
	Christopher Newport		10

* Overtime

See also

• 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 2002 NCAA Division II football season