# 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.

## Conference and program changes
### Conference changes

* The American Southwest Conference began its first season of play in 1996.
* The Northwest Conference transitioned its entire membership from the NAIA to Division III prior to the season.
* The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association dissolved after the 1996 season when most of members joined the American Southwest.
| School | 1995 Conference | 1996 Conference |
| Austin College | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Hardin–Simmons | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Howard Payne | TIAA | American Southwest |
| McMurry | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Mississippi College | Independent | American Southwest |
| Sul Ross | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Thomas More | AMC | Independent |

### 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 Centennial Conference football standings :
| 1996 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ursinus $^  7 –0  9 –2   Franklin & Marshall  6 –1  9 –2   Johns Hopkins  5 –2  7 –3   Dickinson  3 –4  5 –5   Western Maryland  3 –4  4 –6   Gettysburg  3 –4  3 –7   Muhlenberg  1 –6  1 –9   Swarthmore  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Illinois Wesleyan $^  7 –0  10 –1   Wheaton (IL)  6 –1  8 –1   Augustana (IL)  4 –3  5 –4   North Central (IL)  4 –3  5 –4   Millikin  3 –4  3 –6   Carthage  3 –4  3 –6   Elmhurst  1 –6  2 –7   North Park  0 –7  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Salve Regina $  8 –0  9 –0   Bentley  7 –1  7 –3   Stonehill  7 –2  8 –2   Sacred Heart  4 –3  4 –6   Merrimack  5 –4  5 –4   UMass Lowell  4 –4  6 –4   MIT  3 –5  4 –5   Nichols  2 –5  2 –8   Western New England  2 –6  2 –7   Curry  1 –7  3 –7   Assumption  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion |
| 1996 Freedom Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Coast Guard +^  5 –1  8 –3   Springfield (MA) +  5 –1  6 –4   Merchant Marine  4 –2  6 –3   Western Connecticut  3 –3  6 –4   Plymouth State  3 –3  5 –4   Norwich  1 –5  2 –8   WPI  0 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lakeland $  5 –0  8 –2   Concordia (WI)  4 –1  5 –4   MacMurray  3 –2  7 –3   Eureka  2 –3  5 –4   Greenville  1 –4  2 –7   Concordia (IL)  0 –5  1 –8   $ – Conference champion | 1997 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  DePauw $  6 –0  9 –1   Wabash  4 –2  7 –3   Anderson (IN)  3 –3  7 –3   Hanover  3 –3  6 –4   Rose–Hulman  3 –3  3 –7   Manchester  2 –4  4 –6   Franklin (IN)  0 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1996 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Simpson (IA) $^  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 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Albion $^  5 –0  9 –1   Hope  3 –2  4 –5   Alma  2 –3  4 –5   Kalamazoo  2 –3  3 –6   Olivet  2 –3  2 –7   Adrian  1 –4  3 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 –3   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 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division Ripon xy$  5 –0  9 –1   St. Norbert  4 –1  5 –4   Carroll (WI)  3 –2  6 –3   Lake Forest  2 –3  2 –7   Lawrence  1 –4  2 –7   Beloit  0 –5  0 –9   South Division Cornell (IA) xy  4 –1  8 –2   Coe  4 –1  6 –3   Knox  3 –2  6 –3   Grinnell  2 –3  4 –5   Illinois College  1 –4  3 –6   Monmouth (IL)  0 –5  2 –7   Championship: Ripon 26, Cornell (IA) 8 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 1996 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Saint John's (MN) $^ 9 –0 –011 –1 –0 Bethel (MN) 8 –1 –09 –1 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 7 –2 –08 –2 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 Carleton 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 Hamline 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 Augsburg 2 –7 –03 –7 –0 Macalester 2 –7 –03 –7 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 2 –7 –02 –8 –0 St. Olaf 1 –8 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Worcester State $  8 –0  10 –1   UMass Dartmouth  7 –1  8 –2   Massachusetts Maritime  5 –3  6 –4   Maine Maritime  5 –3  5 –5   Bridgewater State  4 –4  5 –5   Westfield State  4 –4  4 –6   UMass–Boston  2 –6  2 –7   Framingham State  1 –7  1 –8   Fitchburg State  0 –8  0 –9   $ – Conference champion |
| 1996 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Amherst  7 –1  7 –1   Trinity (CT)  7 –1  7 –1   Williams  6 –2  6 –2   Hamilton  5 –3  5 –3   Middlebury  5 –3  5 –3   Bowdoin  3 –5  3 –5   Colby  3 –5  3 –5   Wesleyan  3 –5  3 –5   Tufts  1 –7  1 –7   Bates  0 –8  0 –8   No conference champion recognized | 1996 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 | 1996 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Allegheny $^  8 –0  10 –1   Wittenberg  7 –1  9 –1   Wooster  6 –2  7 –3   Denison  3 –4  4 –6   Ohio Wesleyan  3 –4  4 –6   Kenyon  3 –5  4 –6   Case Western Reserve  2 –4  5 –5   Earlham  2 –6  3 –7   Oberlin  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1996 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Willamette $^  5 –0  9 –2   No. 15 Pacific Lutheran ^  4 –1  7 –3   Linfield  3 –2  5 –4   Lewis & Clark  2 –3  4 –6   Whitworth  1 –4  1 –8   Puget Sound  0 –5  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mount Union $^  9 –0  14 –0   John Carroll  8 –1  9 –1   Marietta  6 –3  7 –3   Ohio Northern  6 –3  7 –3   Baldwin–Wallace  6 –3  6 –4   Muskingum  4 –5  5 –5   Heidelberg  2 –7  3 –7   Hiram  2 –7  3 –7   Otterbein  2 –7  2 –8   Capital  0 –9  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Emory & Henry $  4 –1  8 –2   Randolph–Macon  3 –2  7 –3   Bridgewater  3 –2  5 –5   Washington and Lee  2 –3  5 –5   Guilford  2 –3  3 –6   Hampden–Sydney  1 –4  3 –7   $ – Conference champion |
| 1996 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Washington & Jefferson $^ 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 Alfred 4 –1 –04 –6 –0 Bethany (WV) 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 Waynesburg 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Grove City 1 –4 –02 –8 –0 Thiel 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1996 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Redlands $  5 –0  6 –3   La Verne  4 –1  7 –2   Cal Lutheran  2 –3  3 –6   Claremont-Mudd  2 –3  2 –7   Occidental  1 –4  1 –8   Whittier  1 –4  1 –8   $ – Conference champion | 1996 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (TX) +  3 –1  9 –1   Millsaps +  3 –1  8 –2   Sewanee  2 –2  4 –4   Centre  1 –3  5 –5   Rhodes  1 –3  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions |
| 1996 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  MacMurray +  3 –1  7 –3   Westminster (MO) +  3 –1  5 –4   Blackburn +  3 –1  3 –6   Greenville  1 –3  2 –7   Principia  0 –4  0 –8   + – Conference co-champions | 1996 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Union (NY) $  4 –0  9 –1   Hobart  3 –1  5 –5   RPI  2 –2  5 –4   St. Lawrence  1 –3  2 –7   Rochester (NY)  0 –4  0 –9   $ – Conference champion | 1996 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings ConfOverall Team W L W L  Wisconsin–La Crosse $^  7 –0  11 –2   Wisconsin–River Falls ^  6 –1  9 –2   Wisconsin–Whitewater  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  4 –3  6 –3   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  3 –4  5 –5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–Stout  1 –6  4 –6   Wisconsin–Platteville  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1996 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Frostburg State   –  9 –2   Buffalo State ^   –  8 –2   Catholic University   –  7 –2   Chapman   –  7 –2   Wesley   –  7 –2   Pomona-Pitzer   –  6 –2   Ithaca   –  6 –3   Brockport   –  6 –4   Cortland   –  6 –4   Hartwick   –  6 –4   Methodist   –  6 –4   Stony Brook   –  6 –4   Thomas More   –  6 –4   Aurora   –  5 –4   Menlo   –  5 –4   Wilmington (OH)   –  5 –5   Salisbury State   –  4 –5   Colorado College   –  3 –6   Defiance   –  3 –6   Maryville (TN)   –  3 –6   Chowan   –  3 –7   Bluffton   –  2 –8   Ferrum   –  1 –8   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Hardin–Simmons and Sul Ross
* Centennial Conference – Ursinus
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Illinois Wesleyan
* Freedom Football Conference – Coast Guard and Springfield (MA)
* 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.

### Playoff bracket

| Regionals Campus Sites | Regionals Campus Sites | Regionals 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 | 31 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 26 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 26 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 49 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 14 | | | | | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 23 | Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 14 | | | | | | | |
| Albion | Albion | 20 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Albion | Albion | 20 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 39 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 21 | | | | |
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 44 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 21 | | | | |
| Wisconsin–River Falls | Wisconsin–River Falls | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–River Falls | Wisconsin–River Falls | 0 | Wisconsin–La Crosse | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 37 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 30 | | | | | | | |
| Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 21 | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 30 | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | Simpson | 18 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | Simpson | 18 | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 56 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 24 |
| Lycoming | Lycoming | 31 | | | | | | | | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 24 |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 24 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 24 | Lycoming | Lycoming | 31 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Albright | Albright | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Albright | Albright | 31 | Albright | Albright | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 17 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 17 | | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 14 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 33 | | | | |
| Rowan | Rowan | 21 | | | | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 33 | | | | |
| Buffalo State | Buffalo State | 20 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Buffalo State | Buffalo State | 20 | Rowan | Rowan | 7 | | | | | | | |
| | | | TCNJ | TCNJ | 3 | | | | | | | |
| TCNJ | TCNJ | 17 | TCNJ | TCNJ | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Coast Guard | Coast Guard | 16 | | | | | | | | | | |