1978 NCAA Division III football season

1978 NCAA Division III football season
Regular seasonAugust – November 1978
PlayoffsNovember – December 1978
Garrett–Harrison Stadium
Phenix City, AL
ChampionBaldwin–Wallace
← 1977 · NCAA Division III football seasons · 1979 →

The 1978 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1978, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1978 at Garrett–Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Baldwin–Wallace Yellow Jackets won their first Division III championship, defeating the Wittenberg Tigers by a score of 24−10.[1]

Conference standings

1978 College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Southwestern (TN) + 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Sewanee + 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0
Rose–Hulman 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
Centre 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Principia 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1978 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 11 Elmhurst + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Millikin + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Carroll (WI) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Wheaton (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Augustana (IL) 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Illinois Wesleyan 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Carthage 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
North Park 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Buena Vista + 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Dubuque + 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Luther + 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Central (IA) + 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Wartburg 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Simpson (IA) 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Upper Iowa 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
William Penn 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1978 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Ithaca $^ 3 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
St. Lawrence ^ 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Alfred 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Hobart 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
RPI 0 – 2 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1978 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Pace $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
Brooklyn 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Iona 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Saint Peter's 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
St. John's 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Marist 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Hope $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Adrian 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Kalamazoo 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
Albion 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
Olivet 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Alma 0 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Northern Division
Lycoming x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Upsala x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Juniata 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Wilkes 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Albright 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Susquehanna 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
Delaware Valley 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
Southern Division
Widener x 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Western Maryland 5 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1
Franklin & Marshall 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Muhlenberg 5 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1
Gettysburg 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Dickinson 3 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Lebanon Valley 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Swarthmore 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Moravian 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Johns Hopkins 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Ursinus 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
1978 Midwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Red Division
Ripon xy$ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Cornell (IA) x 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Lawrence 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Monmouth (IL) 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Coe 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Knox 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Blue Division
Lake Forest xy 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Beloit 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0
Carleton 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
Chicago 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
Grinnell 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Championship: Ripon 25, Lake Forest 7
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
1978 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Concordia–Moorhead * + 7 – 1 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
St. Olaf +^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. T–20 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
St. Thomas (MN) 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Hamline 3 – 4 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Augsburg 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Bethel (MN) 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Macalester 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
  • * – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 New England Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Nichols + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
Boston State + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Massachusetts Maritime 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
New Haven 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Curry 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Framingham State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Bridgewater State 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Plymouth State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Maine Maritime 0 – 7 – 1 0 – 7 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1978 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Montclair State $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Glassboro State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Trenton State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
William Paterson 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Jersey City State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Kean 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Minnesota Morris $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Minnesota Duluth 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
St. Cloud State 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Moorhead State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Mankato State 4 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Michigan Tech 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Winona State 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Southwest State (MN) 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Bemidji State 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1978 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Blue Division
Wittenberg xy+^ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 1
Capital 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Wooster 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Marietta 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Muskingum 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 1
Otterbein 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 1
Red Division
Baldwin–Wallace xy+^ 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 1
Ohio Northern 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Denison 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 1
Mount Union 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1
Ohio Wesleyan 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 1
Heidelberg 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
Not competing for championship
Kenyon   –   3 – 6 – 0
Oberlin   –   0 – 9 – 0
Championship: Baldwin–Wallace 17, Wittenberg 17
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1978 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Randolph–Macon $ 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Hampden–Sydney 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Emory & Henry 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Bridgewater 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Washington and Lee 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
East Division
East Stroudsburg xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Cheyney 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Bloomsburg 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Millersville 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Kutztown 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
West Division
No. 17 Clarion xy 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Shippensburg x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Slippery Rock 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Edinboro 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 1
Indiana (PA) 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
California (PA) 1 – 4 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
Lock Haven 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 8 – 1
Championship: East Stroudsburg 49, Clarion 4
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Shippensburg was ineligible for conference title game.
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1978 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Carnegie Mellon $^ 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Hiram 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
John Carroll 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Washington & Jefferson 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Allegheny 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1
Thiel 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1
Bethany (WV) 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Case Western Reserve 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1978 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Redlands $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Claremont-Mudd 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Whittier 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Occidental 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
La Verne 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0
Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Wisconsin–La Crosse +^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Wisconsin–Whitewater + 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
No. 12 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Wisconsin–Stout 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin–River Falls 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin–Platteville 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Wisconsin–Superior 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1978 NCAA Division III independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Maryville (TN)   –   8 – 1 – 0
Wabash   –   8 – 1 – 0
Georgetown   –   7 – 1 – 0
James Madison   –   8 – 2 – 0
Dayton ^   –   9 – 2 – 1
Albany   –   7 – 3 – 0
Catholic University   –   7 – 3 – 0
Fordham   –   7 – 3 – 0
Saint Mary's   –   7 – 3 – 0
San Diego   –   7 – 3 – 0
Colorado College   –   6 – 3 – 0
Bowie State   –   5 – 4 – 0
Brockport   –   5 – 4 – 0
Millsaps   –   5 – 4 – 0
Norwich   –   5 – 4 – 0
Rochester (NY)   –   5 – 4 – 0
Cortland   –   5 – 5 – 0
Grove City   –   4 – 4 – 1
Salisbury State   –   5 – 5 – 0
Canisius   –   4 – 5 – 0
Hofstra   –   4 – 5 – 0
Saint Francis (PA)   –   4 – 5 – 0
Union (NY)   –   3 – 5 – 0
Buffalo   –   3 – 6 – 0
Frostburg State   –   3 – 7 – 0
St. Norbert   –   3 – 7 – 0
Plattsburgh   –   2 – 6 – 0
DePauw   –   2 – 7 – 0
Wagner   –   2 – 8 – 0
Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   1 – 8 – 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

Postseason

The 1978 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the sixth annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the sixth consecutive year. Like the previous three championships, eight teams competed in this edition.[2]

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals
Campus sites 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		National Championship Game
Garrett–Harrison Stadium
Phenix City, AL
         
Minnesota–Morris 23
St. Olaf 10
Minnesota–Morris 14
Wittenberg 35
Wittenberg 6
Ithaca 3
Wittenberg 10
Baldwin–Wallace 24
Carnegie Mellon 24
Dayton 21
Carnegie Mellon 6
Baldwin–Wallace 31
Baldwin–Wallace 71
St. Lawrence 7

See also

References

  1. ^ "All-Time Division III Football Championship Records" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  2. ^ "1978 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved November 1, 2014.