# 1990 NCAA Division III football season

The 1990 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 1990, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1990 at Hawkins Stadium in Bradenton, Florida. The Allegheny Gators won their first Division III championship by defeating the Lycoming Warriors, 21−14, in overtime.

## Conference and program changes

| Team | 1989 conference | 1990 conference |
| Davidson | I-AA independent | D-III independent |
| Thomas More | New program | D-III Independent |

## Conference standings

1990 Atlantic Collegiate Football Conference standings :
| 1990 Atlantic Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Marist $ 5 –0 –07 –2 –1 Saint Francis (PA) 4 –1 –04 –6 –0 St. John Fisher 3 –2 –03 –7 –0 Brooklyn 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 Gallaudet 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Siena 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1990 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Dickinson $ 5 –1 –18 –1 –1 Western Maryland 5 –2 –06 –3 –1 Johns Hopkins 4 –2 –15 –4 –1 Swarthmore 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Gettysburg 4 –3 –04 –5 –1 Ursinus 2 –5 –04 –5 –0 Franklin & Marshall 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Muhlenberg 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1990 College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Centre + 3 –1 –08 –2 –0 Sewanee + 3 –1 –06 –3 –0 Rhodes 2 –2 –07 –2 –0 Millsaps 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 Trinity (TX) 0 –4 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1990 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Augustana (IL) +^ 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 Millikin + 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 Illinois Wesleyan 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Carroll (WI) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Carthage 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Wheaton (IL) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 North Central (IL) 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 North Park 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Elmhurst 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1990 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bentley $ 4 –0 –07 –1 –0 Stonehill 3 –1 –03 –4 –1 Assumption 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Western New England 1 –3 –02 –5 –0 MIT 1 –3 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1990 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T DePauw $ 7 –0 –08 –2 –0 Rose–Hulman 6 –1 –07 –3 –0 Hanover 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Wabash 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Anderson (IN) 3 –4 –03 –7 –0 Taylor 2 –5 –05 –5 –0 Franklin (IN) 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Manchester 0 –7 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1990 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Central (IA) $^ 8 –0 –010 –2 –0 Wartburg 7 –1 –09 –1 –0 Simpson (IA) 6 –2 –08 –2 –0 Loras 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Luther 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Upper Iowa 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Dubuque 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Buena Vista 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 William Penn 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1990 Liberty Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T C. W. Post $ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Merchant Marine 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 St. John's 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Iona 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Stony Brook 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Pace 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1990 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Albion $ 4 –0 –17 –1 –1 Hope 3 –1 –16 –1 –2 Olivet 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Adrian 2 –2 –14 –4 –1 Kalamazoo 1 –3 –13 –5 –1 Alma 0 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1990 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Lycoming $^ 8 –0 –012 –1 –0 Juniata 6 –2 –07 –2 –1 Widener 6 –2 –07 –2 –1 Susquehanna 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Moravian 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 Lebanon Valley 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Delaware Valley 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Albright 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Wilkes 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1990 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Division Beloit xy 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 St. Norbert 4 –2 –04 –5 –0 Ripon 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Lawrence 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Lake Forest 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 South Division Coe xy$ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Monmouth (IL) 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Cornell (IA) 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Knox 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Illinois College 2 –5 –04 –5 –0 Grinnell 0 –7 –00 –8 –1 Championship: Coe 34, Beloit 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 1990 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T St. Thomas (MN) +^ 7 –2 –08 –3 –1 Concordia–Moorhead + 7 –2 –07 –3 –0 Bethel (MN) 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 Hamline 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 Saint John's (MN) 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 Carleton 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 St. Olaf 3 –6 –04 –6 –0 Macalester 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Augsburg 0 –9 –00 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1990 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Division Plymouth State xy$ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Lowell 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 Maine Maritime 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Nichols 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 UMass–Boston 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Curry 0 –5 –02 –7 –0 South Division Bridgewater State xy 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Worcester State 5 –1 –05 –4 –0 Framingham State 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Massachusetts Maritime 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Westfield State 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Fitchburg State 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Southeastern Massachusetts 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 Championship: Plymouth State 26, Bridgewater State 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 1990 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Trenton State $^ 5 –1 –010 –2 –0 Ramapo 5 –1 –010 –1 –0 Montclair State 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Glassboro State 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Kean 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 William Paterson 1 –5 –05 –5 –0 Jersey City State 0 –6 –03 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1990 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Allegheny $^ 7 –0 –013 –0 –1 Ohio Wesleyan 7 –1 –09 –1 –0 Wittenberg 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Kenyon 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Denison 3 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wooster 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Case Western Reserve 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Earlham 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 Oberlin 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1990 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Mount Union $^ 9 –0 –010 –1 –0 John Carroll 8 –1 –08 –2 –0 Baldwin–Wallace 6 –2 –17 –2 –1 Capital 5 –4 –06 –4 –0 Ohio Northern 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 Otterbein 3 –4 –23 –5 –2 Heidelberg 3 –6 –03 –7 –0 Muskingum 2 –7 –03 –7 –0 Marietta 2 –7 –02 –8 –0 Hiram 1 –7 –1–1 –8 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1990 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Emory & Henry $ 4 –0 –06 –4 –0 Hampden–Sydney 2 –2 –06 –4 –0 Randolph–Macon 2 –2 –05 –4 –1 Washington and Lee 1 –3 –05 –5 –0 Bridgewater 1 –3 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1990 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Washington & Jefferson $^ 4 –0 –010 –1 –0 Waynesburg 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Thiel 1 –3 –04 –5 –0 Bethany (WV) 1 –3 –01 –7 –1 Grove City 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1990 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Redlands $^ 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 Occidental 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 La Verne 2 –2 –14 –5 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Claremont-Mudd 1 –3 –12 –7 –0 Whittier 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantEach team played one other conference member twice. A head-to-head sweep of the two games counted as one win for the winner and one loss for the loser in the conference standings. A split of the two games counted as a tie for each team. | 1990 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wisconsin–Whitewater $^ 8 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 4 Wisconsin–La Crosse * 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 Wisconsin–Platteville 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–River Falls 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 –4 –14 –5 –1 Wisconsin–Stout 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1990 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hofstra ^   –  12 –1 –0 Dayton ^   –  11 –1 –0 Cortland ^   –  9 –1 –0 Frostburg State   –  9 –1 –0 Union (NY)   –  9 –1 –0 Ferrum ^   –  8 –2 –0 Ithaca ^   –  8 –2 –0 Buffalo State   –  7 –2 –0 San Diego   –  7 –2 –0 Guilford   –  7 –3 –0 Bluffton   –  6 –3 –0 Davidson   –  5 –3 –0 Menlo   –  5 –3 –0 Canisius   –  6 –4 –0 Drake   –  6 –4 –0 Quincy   –  6 –4 –0 UC Santa Barbara   –  6 –4 –0 Aurora   –  5 –4 –0 Catholic University   –  5 –5 –0 Georgetown   –  5 –5 –0 Maryville (TN)   –  5 –5 –0 Wagner   –  5 –5 –0 Wesley   –  5 –5 –0 Colorado College   –  4 –5 –0 Wilmington (OH)   –  4 –5 –0 Alfred   –  4 –6 –0 Thomas More   –  3 –6 –0 Albany   –  3 –7 –0 Brockport   –  3 –7 –0 Western Connecticut State   –  3 –7 –0 Buffalo   –  2 –8 –0 Duquesne   –  1 –8 –1 Mercyhurst   –  1 –8 –0 Norwich   –  1 –8 –0 Salisbury State   –  1 –8 –0 Southeastern Massachusetts   –  1 –8 –0 Saint Peter's   –  0 –7 –0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –  0 –9 –0 Methodist   –  0 –10 –0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Centennial Conference – Dickinson
* College Athletic Conference – Centre and Sewanee
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) and Millikin
* Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference – DePauw
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA)
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming
* Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Coe
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead and St. Thomas (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Plymouth State
* New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Trenton State
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Emory & Henry
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands
* Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Tarleton State
* University Athletic Association – Carnegie Mellon
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Maranatha Baptist and Northwestern–St. Paul
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

## Postseason

The 1990 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 18th 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 Hawkins Stadium in Bradenton, Florida for the first time. Like the previous five tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.

### Playoff bracket

| First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | | National Championship Game Hawkins Stadium Bradenton, Florida | National Championship Game Hawkins Stadium Bradenton, Florida | National Championship Game Hawkins Stadium Bradenton, Florida |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cortland | Cortland | 9 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cortland | Cortland | 9 | Hofstra | Hofstra | 38 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Trenton State | Trenton State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Trenton State | Trenton State | 24 | Trenton State | Trenton State | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 14 | | | | Hofstra | Hofstra | 10 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 20 | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 10 | | | | | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 20 | | | | |
| Ferrum | Ferrum | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ferrum | Ferrum | 7 | Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Lycoming | Lycoming | 17 | Lycoming | Lycoming | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Carnegie Mellon | Carnegie Mellon | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Carnegie Mellon | Carnegie Mellon | 7 | | | | | | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 14 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Allegheny | Allegheny | 21* |
| Dayton | Dayton | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | Allegheny | Allegheny | 21* |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 14 | Dayton | Dayton | 23 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Allegheny | Allegheny | 31 | | | | | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 26 | Allegheny | Allegheny | 31 | | | | | | | |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 15 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 15 | | | | Allegheny | Allegheny | 24 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 7 | | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 24 | | | | | | | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 7 | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 23 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 23 | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 32 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 33 | | | | | | | |
| Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 24 | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 33 | | | | | | | |
| Redlands | Redlands | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |