/playoffs/index

Division III football playoff history

Following are the results of all Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowls, starting with the first Division III national championship in 1973. Clicking on a year will bring up a wrapup of that year's playoffs.

The Division III football postseason started with just four teams and expanded to 40 teams in 2024. 

Mount Union has won 13 Division III football national championships, followed by UW-Whitewater with 6, Augustana with 4 and Ithaca and North Central with 3.

Looking for information on the current playoff format? Check out our FAQ.

Year Champion Score Runner-up Att. Other semifinalists  
Games played in Phenix City, Ala. (4-team field)
1973 Wittenberg 41-0 Juniata N/A Bridgeport, San Diego  
1974 Central 10-8 Ithaca 5,500 Evansville, Slippery Rock  
Games played in Phenix City, Ala. (8-team playoffs start)
1975 Wittenberg 28-0 Ithaca 6,000 Millsaps, Widener  
1976 St. John's (Minn.) 31-28 Towson State 7,214 Buena Vista, St. Lawrence  
1977 Widener 39-36 Wabash 7,852 Albany State, Minn.-Morris  
1978 Baldwin-Wallace 24-10 Wittenberg 7,500 Carnegie Mellon, Minn.-Morris  
1979 Ithaca 14-10 Wittenberg 6,500 Carnegie Mellon, Widener  
1980 Dayton 63-0 Ithaca 8,701 Widener, Minn.-Morris  
1981 Widener 17-10 Dayton 6,100 Montclair St., Lawrence  
1982 West Georgia 14-0 Augustana 9,000 Bishop, St. Lawrence  
Games played in Kings Island,Ohio
1983 Augustana 21-17 Union 3,800 UW-La Crosse, Salisbury St.  
1984 Augustana 21-12 Central 2,300 Union, W&J  
Games played in Phenix City, Ala. (16-team playoffs)
1985 Augustana 20-7 Ithaca 1,879 Central, Gettysburg  
1986 Augustana 31-3 Salisbury State 2,000 Concordia-Moorhead, Ithaca  
1987 Wagner 19-3 Dayton 4,000 Emory & Henry, Central  
1988 Ithaca 39-24 Central 4,000 Ferrum, Augustana  
1989 Dayton 17-7 Union (N.Y.) 3,500 St. John's, Ferrum  
Games played in Bradenton, Fla.
1990 Allegheny 21-14 (OT) Lycoming 4,800 Central, Hofstra  
1991 Ithaca 34-20 Dayton 5,469 Susquehanna, St. John's  
1992 UW-La Crosse 16-12 Washington and Jefferson 5,329 Mount Union, Rowan  
Games played in Salem, Va.
1993 Mount Union 34-24 Rowan 7,304 St. John's, W&J  
1994 Albion 38-15 Washington and Jefferson 7,168 St. John's, Ithaca  
1995 UW-La Crosse 36-7 Rowan 4,905 Mount Union, W&J  
1996 Mount Union 56-24 Rowan 5,048 UW-La Crosse, Lycoming  
1997 Mount Union 61-12 Lycoming 5,777 Simpson, Rowan  
1998 Mount Union 44-24 Rowan 5,145 Trinity (Texas), UW-Eau Claire  
Games played in Salem, Va. (28-team playoffs, automatic bids start)
1999 Pacific Lutheran 42-13 Rowan 4,101 Trinity (Texas), Mount Union  
2000 Mount Union 10-7 St. John's 4,436 Widener, Hardin-Simmons  
2001 Mount Union 30-27 Bridgewater (Va.) 7,992 St. John's, Rowan  
2002 Mount Union 48-7 Trinity (Texas) 4,398 John Carroll, St. John's  
2003 St. John's 24-6 Mount Union 5,073 RPI, Bridgewater  
2004 Linfield 28-21 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3,240 Rowan, Mount Union  
Games played in Salem, Va. (32-team playoffs)
2005 Mount Union 35-28 UW-Whitewater 4,619 Rowan, Wesley  
2006 Mount Union 35-16 UW-Whitewater 6,051 St. John Fisher, Wesley  
2007 UW-Whitewater 31-21 Mount Union 5,099 Bethel, Mary Hardin-Baylor  
2008 Mount Union 31-26 UW-Whitewater 5,344 Wheaton, Mary Hardin-Baylor  
2009 UW-Whitewater 38-28 Mount Union 3,468 Linfield, Wesley  
2010 UW-Whitewater 31-21 Mount Union 4,598 Wesley, Bethel  
2011 UW-Whitewater 13-10 Mount Union 3,784 St. Thomas, Wesley  
2012 Mount Union 28-10 St. Thomas 6,027 Mary Hardin-Baylor, UW-Oshkosh  
2013  UW-Whitewater 52-14 Mount Union 5,371 Mary Hardin-Baylor, North Central  
2014 UW-Whitewater  43-34  Mount Union  5,465  Linfield, Wesley  
2015 Mount Union  49-35  St. Thomas  5,343  Linfield, UW-Whitewater   
2016 (vacated) 10-7  UW-Oshkosh  3,476  Mount Union, John Carroll   
2017 Mount Union 12-0 Mary Hardin-Baylor 4,971 UW-Oshkosh, Brockport  
Games played in post-Salem era (32-team playoffs)
2018 Mary Hardin-Baylor 24-16 Mount Union 6,816 Johns Hopkins, UW-Whitewater Shenandoah, Texas
2019 North Central 41-14 UW-Whitewater 1,362 Muhlenberg, St. John's Shenandoah, Texas
2020 No championship          
2021 Mary Hardin-Baylor 57-24 North Central 1,830 Mount Union, UW-Whitewater Canton, Ohio
2022 North Central 28-21 Mount Union 3,231 Mary Hardin-Baylor, Wartburg Annapolis, Md.
2023 Cortland 38-37 North Central 3,381 Randolph-Macon, Wartburg Salem, Va.
Games played in post-Salem era (40-team playoffs)  
2024 North Central 41-25 Mount Union 1,938 Susquehanna, Johns Hopkins Houston, Texas
2025 UW-River Falls 24-14 North Central 2,403 John Carroll, Johns Hopkins Canton, Ohio

Regional championship results

From 1969-72, small-college NCAA football played two regional championships, but no national final. The results of those games:

EAST (Knute Rockne Bowl)
1969 Randolph-Macon 47-28 Bridgeport
1970 Montclair State 7-6 Hampden-Sydney
1971 Bridgeport 17-12 Hampden-Sydney
1972 Bridgeport 27-22 Slippery Rock
       
WEST (Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl)
1969 Wittenberg 27-21 William Jewell
1970 Capital 34-21 Luther
1971 (vacated by Samford) 20-10 Ohio Wesleyan
1972 Heidelberg 28-16 Fort Valley State
Jan. 4: All times Eastern
Final
UW-River Falls 24, at North Central (Ill.) 14
@ Canton, Ohio
Video Box Score Photos
Dec. 20: All times Eastern
Final
at North Central (Ill.) 41, John Carroll 21
Box Score Recap
Final
at UW-River Falls 48, Johns Hopkins 41
Video Box Score Recap Recap Photos
Maintenance in progress.