2006 NCAA Division III football season

The 2006 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 2006, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2006 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their ninth Division III championship by defeating the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks, 35−16. This was the second of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins) and the second straight win for Mount Union.

2006 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2006
Playoffs	November – December 2006
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (9)
Gagliardi Trophy	Josh Brehm (QB), Alma
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Josh Brehm, quarterback from Alma.

Conference standings

2006 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   8 – 0     10 – 3   No. 13 Hardin–Simmons ^   6 – 1     8 – 2   Texas Lutheran   4 – 4     6 – 4   Sul Ross   4 – 4     5 – 4   Howard Payne   3 – 5     5 – 5   Mississippi College   3 – 5     5 – 5   East Texas Baptist   3 – 5     3 – 7   Louisiana College   2 – 5     4 – 5   McMurry   2 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Wesley $^   4 – 0     13 – 1   Apprentice §   2 – 2     7 – 3   Salisbury   2 – 2     6 – 5   Brockport   2 – 2     4 – 6   Frostburg State   0 – 4     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant § – Not an NCAA member Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Dickinson $^   5 – 1     8 – 3   Ursinus   4 – 2     8 – 3   Gettysburg   3 – 3     5 – 5   Johns Hopkins   3 – 3     5 – 5   Muhlenberg   2 – 4     5 – 5   McDaniel   2 – 4     4 – 6   Franklin & Marshall   2 – 4     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2006 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Wheaton (IL) +^   6 – 1     10 – 2   No. 19 North Central (IL) +^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Augustana (IL) +   6 – 1     7 – 3   Carthage   3 – 4     6 – 4   Elmhurst   3 – 4     6 – 4   Illinois Wesleyan   2 – 5     3 – 7   Millikin   2 – 5     3 – 7   North Park   0 – 7     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 St. John Fisher +^   5 – 1     12 – 2   No. 10 Springfield +^   5 – 1     10 – 2   Alfred   4 – 2     8 – 3   Ithaca   4 – 2     7 – 3   Hartwick   2 – 4     4 – 6   Utica   1 – 5     3 – 7   Norwich   0 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount St. Joseph $^   7 – 0     9 – 2   Franklin (IN)   6 – 1     9 – 1   Defiance   5 – 2     7 – 3   Hanover   4 – 3     4 – 6   Rose-Hulman   3 – 4     6 – 4   Bluffton   2 – 5     3 – 7   Anderson (IN)   1 – 6     2 – 8   Manchester   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2006 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Concordia (WI) $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Greenville   5 – 2     6 – 4   Aurora   5 – 2     5 – 5   Lakeland   5 – 2     5 – 5   Benedictine (IL)   3 – 4     4 – 6   MacMurray   2 – 5     3 – 7   Concordia (IL)   1 – 6     2 – 8   Eureka   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2006 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Central (IA) $^   8 – 0     10 – 1   Wartburg   6 – 2     8 – 2   Coe   5 – 3     7 – 3   Dubuque   5 – 3     6 – 4   Buena Vista   4 – 4     4 – 6   Loras   4 – 4     4 – 6   Simpson (IA)   3 – 5     3 – 7   Luther   1 – 7     2 – 8   Cornell (IA)   0 – 8     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Liberty League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Hobart +^   5 – 1     8 – 2   No. 25 Union (NY) +^   5 – 1     7 – 3   Rochester (NY)   4 – 2     7 – 4   RPI   3 – 3     7 – 3   St. Lawrence   3 – 3     5 – 4   Merchant Marine   1 – 5     3 – 7   WPI   0 – 6     3 – 6   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2006 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hope $^   7 – 0     7 – 4   Alma   5 – 2     6 – 4   Olivet   5 – 2     6 – 4   Adrian   4 – 3     5 – 5   Albion   3 – 4     5 – 5   Kalamazoo   2 – 5     2 – 7   Tri-State #   2 – 5     2 – 8   Wisconsin Lutheran   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Provisional NCAA Division III member	2006 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Wilkes $^   9 – 0     11 – 1   Delaware Valley   8 – 2     8 – 3   Widener   6 – 3     7 – 4   King's   6 – 3     6 – 5   Lebanon Valley   5 – 4     6 – 4   Lycoming   4 – 5     4 – 5   Moravian   4 – 5     4 – 6   Albright   2 – 7     2 – 8   FDU Florham   2 – 7     2 – 8   Juniata   2 – 7     2 – 8   Susquehanna   2 – 7     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   St. Norbert $^   9 – 0     10 – 1   Monmouth (IL)   7 – 2     7 – 3   Ripon   7 – 2     7 – 3   Illinois College   6 – 3     6 – 4   Lake Forest   5 – 4     5 – 5   Lawrence   4 – 5     5 – 5   Carroll (WI)   4 – 5     4 – 6   Grinnell   2 – 7     2 – 8   Knox   1 – 8     2 – 8   Beloit   0 – 9     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2006 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Saint John's (MN) +^   7 – 1     11 – 2   No. 17 Bethel (MN) +^   7 – 1     9 – 2   St. Olaf   6 – 2     8 – 2   St. Thomas (MN)   5 – 3     6 – 4   Gustavus Adolphus   4 – 4     6 – 4   Concordia–Moorhead   3 – 5     4 – 6   Carleton   2 – 6     4 – 6   Hamline   1 – 7     3 – 7   Augsburg   1 – 7     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Coast Guard xy   7 – 0     8 – 3   Bridgewater State   6 – 1     8 – 2   Maine Maritime   5 – 2     6 – 3   Fitchburg State   3 – 4     4 – 5   Worcester State   3 – 4     4 – 6   Massachusetts Maritime   2 – 5     3 – 6   Framingham State   1 – 6     1 – 8   Westfield State   1 – 6     1 – 8   Boyd Division Curry xy$^   7 – 0     11 – 1   Endicott   5 – 2     6 – 4   Nichols   4 – 3     5 – 4   UMass Dartmouth   4 – 3     5 – 4   Plymouth State   4 – 3     4 – 5   Western New England   3 – 4     5 – 4   MIT   1 – 6     2 – 7   Salve Regina   0 – 7     1 – 8   Championship: Curry 34, Coast Guard 28 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2006 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Williams $   8 – 0     8 – 0   Trinity (CT)   7 – 1     7 – 1   Middlebury   6 – 2     6 – 2   Amherst   5 – 3     5 – 3   Tufts   4 – 4     4 – 4   Wesleyan   3 – 5     3 – 5   Bowdoin   2 – 6     2 – 6   Colby   2 – 6     2 – 6   Hamilton   2 – 6     2 – 6   Bates   1 – 7     1 – 7   $ – Conference champion
2006 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 21 Cortland +   6 – 1     9 – 2   No. 12 Rowan +^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Montclair State   5 – 2     7 – 3   Kean   4 – 3     7 – 4   Western Connecticut   2 – 5     5 – 5   TCNJ   2 – 5     4 – 6   Buffalo State   2 – 5     3 – 7   William Paterson   1 – 6     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wabash +   6 – 1     8 – 2   Wittenberg +^   6 – 1     7 – 4   Wooster   5 – 2     8 – 2   Allegheny   4 – 3     6 – 4   Oberlin   4 – 3     5 – 5   Kenyon   3 – 4     4 – 6   Denison   3 – 4     3 – 7   Ohio Wesleyan   3 – 4     3 – 7   Earlham   1 – 6     3 – 7   Hiram   0 – 7     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2006 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Whitworth $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   No. 23 Linfield   5 – 1     6 – 3   Pacific Lutheran   4 – 2     4 – 5   Puget Sound   3 – 3     7 – 3   Willamette   2 – 4     2 – 7   Menlo   1 – 5     4 – 6   Lewis & Clark   0 – 6     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2006 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Mount Union $^   9 – 0     15 – 0   No. 3 Capital ^   8 – 1     11 – 2   Baldwin–Wallace   6 – 3     7 – 3   Marietta   5 – 4     6 – 4   Ohio Northern   5 – 4     6 – 4   John Carroll   5 – 4     5 – 5   Otterbein   3 – 6     4 – 6   Wilmington (OH)   3 – 6     3 – 7   Muskingum   1 – 8     2 – 8   Heidelberg   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington and Lee $^   5 – 1     7 – 4   Bridgewater   4 – 2     8 – 2   Emory & Henry   4 – 2     6 – 4   Hampden–Sydney   4 – 2     4 – 6   Guilford   3 – 3     6 – 4   Catholic University   1 – 5     3 – 7   Randolph–Macon   0 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2006 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 18 Washington & Jefferson $^   6 – 0     10 – 2   Waynesburg   5 – 1     6 – 4   Thiel   4 – 2     5 – 5   Thomas More   2 – 4     6 – 4   Bethany (WV)   2 – 4     4 – 6   Grove City   1 – 5     3 – 7   Westminster (PA)   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2006 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Occidental $^   6 – 0     9 – 1   Redlands   4 – 2     4 – 5   Cal Lutheran   3 – 3     6 – 3   La Verne   3 – 3     3 – 6   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps   2 – 4     4 – 5   Pomona–Pitzer   2 – 4     3 – 6   Whittier   1 – 5     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Millsaps $^   6 – 0     7 – 4   Trinity (TX)   5 – 1     8 – 2   DePauw   3 – 3     6 – 4   Rhodes   3 – 3     6 – 4   Centre   2 – 4     5 – 5   Austin   2 – 4     4 – 6   Sewanee   0 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2006 University Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Carnegie Mellon $^   3 – 0     11 – 1   Washington University   2 – 1     6 – 4   Case Western Reserve   1 – 2     5 – 5   Chicago   0 – 3     4 – 5   $ – Conference champion ^ – Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2006 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Minnesota–Morris xy$#   7 – 0     7 – 3   Northwestern (MN) #   6 – 1     7 – 3   Crown #   2 – 5     3 – 6   Trinity Bible §   2 – 5     2 – 6   Martin Luther   2 – 5     2 – 8   South Rockford xy   5 – 2     7 – 3   Maranatha Baptist   4 – 3     6 – 3   Westminster (MO)   4 – 3     4 – 5   Blackburn   3 – 4     3 – 7   Principia   0 – 7     0 – 9   Championship: Minnesota–Morris 27, Rockford 20 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member § – Not an NCAA member	2006 USA South Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Christopher Newport +^   6 – 1     8 – 3   Averett +   6 – 1     7 – 3   North Carolina Wesleyan   5 – 2     6 – 4   Maryville (TN)   4 – 3     5 – 5   Methodist   2 – 5     4 – 6   Greensboro   2 – 5     3 – 7   Ferrum   2 – 5     2 – 7   Shenandoah   1 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2006 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^   7 – 0     14 – 1   No. 6 Wisconsin–La Crosse ^   6 – 1     9 – 2   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   4 – 3     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   3 – 4     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Platteville   3 – 4     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   2 – 5     3 – 7   Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 5     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Stout   1 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2006 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Huntingdon   –     6 – 4   Husson   –     6 – 4   Mount Ida   –     5 – 4   Colorado College   –     5 – 5   Chapman   –     4 – 5   Macalester   –     2 – 7   SUNY Maritime   –     1 – 6   Morrisville State #   –     1 – 8   Becker   –     0 – 9   LaGrange   –     0 – 10   # – Provisional Division III member

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor Atlantic Central Football Conference – Wesley Centennial Conference – Dickinson College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL), North Central (IL), and Wheaton (IL) Empire 8 Conference – St. John Fisher and Springfield Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Mount St. Joseph Illini-Badger Football Conference – Concordia (WI) Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Liberty League – Hobart and Union (NY) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Wilkes Midwest Conference – St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Bethel (MN) and Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Coast Guard (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division) Championship Game: Curry 34, Coast Guard 28 New England Small College Athletic Conference – Williams New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan and SUNY Cortland North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash and Wittenberg Northwest Conference – Whitworth Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Millsaps University Athletic Association – Carnegie Mellon Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Minnesota–Morris USA South Athletic Conference – Averett and Christopher Newport Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 2006 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 34th 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 14th time.

Qualification

Twenty-one conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, five conferences had no Pool A bid. The NWC was in the first year and the PAC in the second year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement.

Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 21 Pool A conferences contained 181 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Thirty-seven schools were in Pool B, enough for four bids.

The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

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		49
	Hope		0			Mount Union		35
	Wheaton (IL)		42			Wheaton (IL)		3
	Mount St. Joseph		28								Mount Union		17
	North Central (IL)		35								Capital		14
	Concordia Wisconsin		6			North Central (IL)		13
	Capital		32			Capital		41
	Wittenberg		14													Mount Union		26
	Wilkes		42													St. John Fisher		14
	Washington & Lee		0			Wilkes		14
	Rowan		20			Rowan		21
	Hobart		18								Rowan		0
	St. John Fisher		49								St. John Fisher		31
	Union (NY)		21			St. John Fisher		27
	Springfield		42			Springfield		21
	Curry		14																		Mount Union		35
	Wesley		49																		Wisconsin–Whitewater		16
	Dickinson		21			Wesley		37
	Carnegie Mellon		21			Carnegie Mellon		0
	Millsaps		0								Wesley		34
	Washington & Jefferson		27								Mary Hardin–Baylor		28
	Christopher Newport		23			Washington & Jefferson		27
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		33			Mary Hardin–Baylor		30
	Hardin–Simmons		21													Wesley		7
	Wisconsin–Whitewater		59													Wisconsin–Whitewater		44
	St. Norbert		17			Wisconsin–Whitewater		24
	Wisconsin–La Crosse		28			Wisconsin–La Crosse		21
	Bethel (MN)		21								Wisconsin–Whitewater		17
	Whitworth		27								Saint John's (MN)		14
	Occidental		23			Whitworth		3
	Saint John's (MN)		21			Saint John's (MN)		21
	Central (IA)		13

* Overtime

See also

• 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2006 NCAA Division II football season