1996 NCAA Division III football season

The 1996 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 1996, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1996 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their second Division III championship by defeating the Rowan Profs, 56−24. The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Lon Erickson, quarterback from Illinois Wesleyan.[1]

1996 NCAA Division III football season
Regular seasonAugust – November 1996
PlayoffsNovember – December 1996
Salem Football Stadium
Salem, VA
ChampionMount Union (2)
Gagliardi TrophyLon Erickson (QB), Illinois Wesleyan
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference and program changes

Conference changes
  • The American Southwest Conference began its first season of play in 1996.
  • The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association dissolved after the 1996 season when most of members joined the American Southwest.
School1995 Conference1996 Conference
Austin CollegeTIAAAmerican Southwest
Hardin–SimmonsTIAAAmerican Southwest
Howard PayneTIAAAmerican Southwest
McMurryTIAAAmerican Southwest
Mississippi CollegeIndependentAmerican Southwest
Sul Ross StateTIAAAmerican Southwest
Thomas MoreAMCIndependent

Program changes
  • After Trenton State College changed its name to The College of New Jersey in 1996, the Trenton State Lions became the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Lions at the start of the 1996 season.

Conference standings
1996 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Simpson $^  8 –0     10 –1  
Central (IA)  7 –1     7 –3  
Loras  5 –3     7 –3  
Wartburg  5 –3     7 –3  
Buena Vista  4 –4     5 –5  
Upper Iowa  3 –5     3 –7  
Luther  2 –6     3 –7  
William Penn *  2 –6     1 –9  
Dubuque  0 –8     1 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
  • * – William Penn was awarded a conference forfeit win over Buena Vista, but the NCAA did not award an overall win
1996 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Commonwealth
Albright x^  5 –0     10 –2  
Widener  4 –1     7 –3  
Susquehanna  3 –2     5 –5  
Moravian  2 –3     6 –4  
Juniata  1 –4     5 –5  
Lebanon Valley  0 –5     1 –9  
Freedom
Lycoming x^  4 –0     11 –1  
Wilkes  3 –1     8 –2  
Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham  1 –3     2 –8  
King's (PA)  1 –3     2 –8  
Delaware Valley  1 –3     1 –8  
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1996 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
TCNJ $^  5 –0     8 –3  
Rowan ^  4 –1     10 –3  
Jersey City State  3 –2     5 –5  
Montclair State  2 –3     4 –6  
Kean  1 –4     2 –7  
William Paterson  0 –5     1 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions
Conference champions
  • American Southwest Conference – Hardin–Simmons and Sul Ross State
  • Centennial Conference – Ursinus
  • College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Illinois Wesleyan
  • Freedom Football Conference – Coast Guard
  • Illini-Badger Football Conference – Lakeland
  • Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference – DePauw
  • Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Simpson
  • Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion
  • Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming
  • Midwest Conference – Ripon
  • Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
  • New England Football Conference – Worcester State
  • New Jersey Athletic Conference – TCNJ
  • North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny
  • Northwest Conference – Willamette
  • Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
  • Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Emory & Henry
  • Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson
  • Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands
  • Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Millsaps and Trinity (TX)
  • University Athletic Association – Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, and Washington–Saint Louis
  • Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Maranatha Baptist and Martin Luther
  • Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – Union (NY)
  • Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

Postseason

The 1996 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 24th 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 eleven tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.[2]

Playoff bracket
Regionals
Campus Sites 		Quarterfinals
Campus Sites 		Semifinals
Campus Sites 		National Championship Game
Salem Football Stadium
Salem, Virginia
            
Mount Union 31
Allegheny 26
Mount Union 49
Illinois Wesleyan 14
Illinois Wesleyan 23
Albion 20
Mount Union 39
Wisconsin–La Crosse 21
Wisconsin–La Crosse 44
Wisconsin–River Falls 0
Wisconsin–La Crosse 37
Saint John's (MN) 30
Saint John's (MN) 21
Simpson 18
Mount Union 56
Rowan 24
Lycoming 31
Ursinus 24
Lycoming 31
Albright 13
Albright 31
Washington & Jefferson 17
Lycoming 14
Rowan 33
Rowan 21
Buffalo State 20
Rowan 7
TCNJ 3
TCNJ 17
Coast Guard 16
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See also

References
  1. "All-Time Division III Football Championship Records" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  2. "1996 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
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