The 1983 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1983, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 10, 1983, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the Central State (Ohio), 41–21, to win their first Division II national title.
Conference changes and new programs School 1982 Conference 1983 Conference Arkansas-Pine Bluff Independent (D-II) Independent (NAIA D-I) Cal Poly Pomona Western Dropped Program Georgetown (KY) Heartland Independent (NAIA D-I) Fisk SIAC CAC (D-III) Puget Sound Independent Evergreen (NAIA D-I) Sonoma State Independent (D-II) NCAC West Georgia D-III Independent Gulf South
Conference standings
Conference summaries
Conference ChampionsCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Virginia Union Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saginaw Valley State Gulf South Conference – North Alabama Heartland Collegiate Conference – Butler Lone Star Conference – East Texas State and Southwest Texas State Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Central Missouri State and Missouri–Rolla North Central Conference – Nebraska–Omaha and North Dakota State Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Winona State Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Clarion Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Fort Valley State
Postseason
The 1983 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 11th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas, for the third consecutive time.
Playoff bracket
See also 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season 1983 NCAA Division III football season 1983 NAIA Division I football season 1983 NAIA Division II football season
References