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.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Bill Borchert, quarterback from Mount Union.
Conference standings
Conference champions Conference championsAmerican 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
See also 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season 1997 NCAA Division II football season
References