# 2002 NCAA Division III football season

The 2002 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 2002, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2002 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their seventh, and third consecutive, Division III championship by defeating the Trinity (TX) Tigers, 48−7.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Dan Pugh, running back from Mount Union.

## Conference changes and new programs
### Name changes

* Before the start of the season, Western Maryland College changed its name to McDaniel College. Its football program thus changed from the Western Maryland Green Terror to the McDaniel Green Terror. The team remained a member of the Centennial Conference.

## Conference standings

2002 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2002 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  9 –0  10 –1   Howard Payne  8 –1  9 –1   Hardin–Simmons  7 –2  8 –2   East Texas Baptist  6 –3  6 –4   Mississippi College  4 –5  4 –6   Austin *  4 –5  4 –6   Louisiana College  3 –6  4 –6   Texas Lutheran  2 –7  2 –8   McMurry *  0 –9  0 –10   Sul Ross *  2 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Sul Ross forfeited wins over Austin and McMurry for use of ineligible player, but season records stood. | 2002 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Frostburg State $  3 –0  6 –5   Salisbury ^  2 –1  9 –2   Wesley  1 –2  5 –5   Apprentice §  0 –3  5 –5   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant§ – Not an NCAA member | 2002 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Muhlenberg +^  5 –1  10 –2   Johns Hopkins +  5 –1  9 –2   McDaniel +  5 –1  9 –2   Dickinson  3 –3  5 –5   Franklin & Marshall  2 –4  4 –6   Gettysburg  1 –5  4 –6   Ursinus  0 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Wheaton (IL) $^  7 –0  10 –2   Augustana (IL)  6 –1  7 –2   Millikin  4 –3  7 –3   North Central (IL)  4 –3  6 –4   Illinois Wesleyan  3 –4  6 –4   Carthage  3 –4  4 –6   Elmhurst  1 –6  3 –7   North Park  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Dixie Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Christopher Newport +^  5 –1  6 –5   Ferrum +  5 –1  5 –5   Shenandoah  4 –2  5 –5   Greensboro  4 –2  4 –6   Methodist  2 –4  3 –7   Averett  1 –5  2 –7   Chowan  0 –6  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ithaca $  4 –0  7 –3   Hartwick  3 –1  8 –2   St. John Fisher  2 –2  6 –4   Alfred  1 –3  4 –6   Utica  0 –4  1 –9   $ – Conference champion |
| 2002 Freedom Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Springfield (MA) $^  6 –0  8 –2   Merchant Marine  5 –1  8 –3   Western Connecticut  4 –2  7 –3   WPI  3 –3  4 –6   Norwich  2 –4  4 –6   Coast Guard  1 –5  2 –7   Plymouth State  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hanover $^  6 –0  10 –1   Anderson (IN)  5 –1  7 –3   Mount St. Joseph  4 –2  5 –5   Manchester  2 –4  3 –7   Franklin (IN)  2 –4  2 –8   Bluffton  1 –5  3 –7   Defiance  1 –5  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  MacMurray $^  7 –0  10 –1   Concordia (WI)  6 –1  8 –2   Aurora  5 –2  5 –4   Lakeland  4 –3  6 –4   Benedictine (IL)  3 –4  4 –6   Eureka  2 –5  2 –8   Greenville  1 –6  1 –9   Concordia (IL)  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Coe +^  8 –1  10 –2   Wartburg +^  8 –1  10 –2   Central (IA) +  8 –1  8 –2   Simpson (IA)  6 –3  6 –4   Loras  4 –5  5 –5   Cornell (IA)  3 –6  4 –6   Luther  3 –6  4 –6   Buena Vista  3 –6  3 –7   Upper Iowa  2 –7  2 –8   Dubuque  0 –9  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Alma $^  6 –0  9 –2   Hope  4 –2  5 –5   Adrian  3 –3  6 –4   Olivet  3 –3  5 –4   Albion  3 –3  5 –5   Kalamazoo  2 –5  4 –5   Wisconsin Lutheran  0 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  King's (PA) $^  8 –1  9 –3   Widener  8 –1  9 –1   Moravian  7 –2  7 –4   Lycoming  6 –3  6 –3   Wilkes  5 –4  7 –4   Susquehanna  5 –4  5 –5   Juniata  4 –5  5 –5   Albright  2 –7  2 –8   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham  2 –7  2 –8   Delaware Valley  1 –8  2 –8   Lebanon Valley  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  St. Norbert +^  8 –1  9 –1   Lake Forest +^  8 –1  9 –2   Ripon  7 –2  7 –3   Beloit  5 –4  6 –4   Knox  5 –4  6 –4   Monmouth (IL)  5 –4  5 –5   Grinnell  4 –5  4 –6   Illinois College  2 –7  3 –7   Carroll (WI)  1 –8  1 –9   Lawrence  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 –0 –012 –2 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 7 –1 –07 –3 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Bethel (MN) 5 –3 –05 –5 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 –3 –05 –5 –0 St. Olaf 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Hamline 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Augsburg 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Carleton 0 –8 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Westfield State xy  6 –0  8 –3   Worcester State  5 –1  9 –2   Fitchburg State  4 –2  5 –4   Bridgewater State  3 –3  4 –5   Framingham State  1 –5  1 –8   Maine Maritime  1 –5  1 –8   Massachusetts Maritime  1 –5  1 –8   Boyd Division UMass Dartmouth xy$^  5 –0  11 –1   Curry  3 –2  7 –3   Nichols  3 –2  5 –4   MIT  2 –3  4 –5   Salve Regina  2 –3  2 –7   Western New England  0 –5  1 –8   Championship: UMass Dartmouth 16, Westfield State 0 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (CT) +  7 –1  7 –1   Williams +  7 –1  7 –1   Amherst  6 –2  6 –2   Wesleyan  5 –3  5 –3   Colby  4 –4  4 –4   Middlebury  4 –4  4 –4   Bates  3 –5  3 –5   Tufts  3 –5  3 –5   Bowdoin  1 –7  1 –7   Hamilton  0 –8  0 –8   + – Conference co-champions | 2002 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Rowan $^  6 –0  10 –1   Cortland  4 –2  9 –2   TCNJ  4 –2  6 –3   Montclair State  4 –2  5 –5   Kean  2 –4  4 –6   New Jersey City  1 –5  1 –8   William Paterson  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Wabash $^  7 –0  12 –1   Wittenberg ^  6 –1  10 –2   Wooster  5 –2  8 –2   Allegheny  4 –3  5 –5   Earlham  4 –3  4 –6   Ohio Wesleyan  3 –4  5 –5   Oberlin  3 –4  3 –7   Denison  2 –5  2 –8   Kenyon  1 –6  1 –9   Hiram  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Linfield $^  5 –0  10 –1   Whitworth  3 –2  7 –3   Willamette  3 –2  6 –3   Pacific Lutheran  3 –2  5 –4   Lewis & Clark  1 –4  3 –6   Puget Sound  0 –5  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mount Union $^  9 –0  14 –0   John Carroll ^  8 –1  12 –2   Baldwin–Wallace  7 –2  8 –2   Capital  6 –3  6 –4   Ohio Northern  5 –4  5 –5   Muskingum  3 –6  3 –7   Marietta  2 –7  3 –7   Wilmington (OH)  2 –7  3 –7   Heidelberg  2 –7  2 –8   Otterbein  1 –8  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bridgewater $^  6 –0  11 –1   Hampden–Sydney  5 –1  8 –2   Randolph–Macon  3 –3  6 –4   Washington and Lee  3 –3  5 –5   Catholic University  2 –4  4 –6   Emory & Henry  2 –4  4 –6   Guilford  0 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington & Jefferson $^  5 –0  9 –3   Westminster (PA)  4 –1  6 –4   Waynesburg  2 –3  5 –4   Thiel  2 –3  3 –7   Bethany (WV)  1 –4  3 –7   Grove City  1 –4  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Redlands $^  5 –0  7 –3   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps  4 –1  7 –2   Cal Lutheran  3 –2  4 –5   Occidental  1 –4  5 –4   La Verne  1 –4  3 –5   Whittier  1 –4  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (TX) $^  6 –0  14 –1   DePauw  5 –1  7 –3   Sewanee  4 –2  5 –5   Centre  2 –4  6 –4   Rose–Hulman  2 –4  3 –7   Rhodes  1 –5  4 –6   Millsaps  1 –5  3 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington University $  3 –0  6 –4   Case Western Reserve  1 –2  6 –4   Carnegie Mellon  1 –2  5 –5   Chicago  1 –2  4 –5   $ – Conference champion | 2002 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Northwestern (MN) x  3 –0  8 –2   Martin Luther  2 –1  6 –3   Crown  1 –2  2 –7   Trinity Bible  0 –3  0 –9   South Maranatha Baptist x  4 –0  6 –3   Westminster (MO)  3 –1  7 –2   Principia  2 –2  5 –4   Rockford  1 –3  4 –6   Blackburn  0 –4  1 –8   x – Division champion/co-champions | 2002 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hobart $^  4 –0  8 –2   Union (NY)  3 –1  5 –5   RPI  2 –2  8 –2   Rochester (NY)  1 –3  2 –8   St. Lawrence  0 –4  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2002 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Wisconsin–La Crosse $^  6 –1  7 –4   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Stout  4 –3  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  4 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin–Whitewater  4 –3  5 –5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  3 –7   Wisconsin–Platteville  1 –6  2 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2002 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Brockport ^   –  10 –3   Thomas More   –  7 –3   Macalester   –  5 –5   Menlo   –  5 –5   Pomona-Pitzer   –  4 –4   Chapman   –  3 –7   Mount Ida   –  2 –7   Colorado College   –  1 –8   Buffalo State   –  1 –9   Maryville (TN)   –  0 –10   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Atlantic Central Football Conference – Frostburg State
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, and Muhlenberg
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Wheaton (IL)
* Dixie Intercollegiate Football Conference – Christopher Newport and Ferrum
* Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca
* Freedom Football Conference – Springfield
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover
* Illini-Badger Football Conference – MacMurray
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA), Coe, and Wartburg
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Alma
* Middle Atlantic Conference – King's College and Widener
* Midwest Conference – Lake Forest and St. Norbert
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Westfield State (Bogan Division), UMass Dartmouth (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: UMass Dartmouth 16, Westfield State 0
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT) and Williams
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX)
* University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul
* Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hobart
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

## Postseason

The 2002 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 30th 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 10th time. This was the fourth bracket to feature 28 teams since last expanding in 1999.

### Playoff bracket

| First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia |
| | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 42 | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Alma | Alma | 14 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 45 | | | | | | |
| Wabash | Wabash | 42 | | | | Wabash | Wabash | 16 | | | | | | |
| MacMurray | MacMurray | 7 | Wabash | Wabash | 25 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 34 | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hanover | Hanover | 33 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 57 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | John Carroll | John Carroll | 19 | | | |
| | | | Rowan | Rowan | 12 | | | | | | | | | |
| Brockport | Brockport | 16 | Brockport | Brockport | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Springfield | Springfield | 0 | | | | Brockport | Brockport | 10 | | | | | | |
| John Carroll | John Carroll | 27 | | | | John Carroll | John Carroll | 16* | | | | | | |
| Hobart | Hobart | 7 | John Carroll | John Carroll | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 56 | Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| UMass Dartmouth | UMass Dartmouth | 6 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 48 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 7 |
| | | | Linfield | Linfield | 52 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wartburg | Wartburg | 45 | Wartburg | Wartburg | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lake Forest | Lake Forest | 0 | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 14 | | | | | | |
| Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 31 | | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 21 | | | | | | |
| Redlands | Redlands | 24 | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coe | Coe | 21 | Coe | Coe | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| UW–La Crosse | UW–La Crosse | 18 | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 34 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 41 | | | |
| | | | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| King's (PA) | King's (PA) | 28 | King's (PA) | King's (PA) | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 0 | | | | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 32 | | | | | | |
| Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 48 | | | | Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 38 | | | | | | |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 38 | Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wash. & Jefferson | Wash. & Jefferson | 24 | Wash. & Jefferson | Wash. & Jefferson | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime