# 2003 NCAA Division III football season

The 2003 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 2003, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2003 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Saint John's (MN) Johnnies won second Division III championship by defeating the three-time defending national champion Mount Union Purple Raiders, 24−6.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Blake Elliott, wide receiver, punter, and kick returner from Saint John's (MN).

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2002 conference | 2003 conference |
| New Jersey City Gothic Knights | NJAC | Dropped program |
| Upper Iowa Peacocks | Iowa | Northern Sun (Division II) |

## Conference standings

2003 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2003 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Mary Hardin–Baylor +  8 –1  9 –1   Hardin–Simmons +  8 –1  8 –2   No. 14 East Texas Baptist +^  8 –1  9 –3   Howard Payne  6 –3  6 –4   McMurry  4 –5  4 –6   Louisiana College  4 –5  4 –6   Austin  3 –6  3 –7   Mississippi College  2 –7  3 –7   Texas Lutheran  2 –7  2 –8   Sul Ross  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Frostburg State $  3 –0  4 –5   Salisbury  2 –1  7 –2   Wesley  1 –2  6 –4   Apprentice §  0 –3  1 –8   $ – Conference champion§ – Not an NCAA member | 2003 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Johns Hopkins +  5 –1  10 –1   Muhlenberg +  5 –1  7 –3   McDaniel  4 –2  5 –5   Franklin & Marshall  3 –3  4 –6   Gettysburg  2 –4  5 –5   Dickinson  2 –4  4 –6   Ursinus  0 –6  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Wheaton (IL) $^  7 –0  12 –1   Augustana (IL)  6 –1  7 –3   Millikin  4 –3  7 –3   North Central (IL)  4 –3  7 –3   Elmhurst  3 –4  6 –4   Illinois Wesleyan  3 –4  5 –5   Carthage  1 –6  3 –7   North Park  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Ithaca $^  4 –0  10 –3   St. John Fisher  3 –1  8 –3   Alfred  2 –2  5 –5   Hartwick  1 –3  2 –7   Utica  0 –4  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Freedom Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Springfield (MA) $^  6 –0  10 –1   Norwich  4 –2  6 –5   Merchant Marine  3 –3  6 –4   Western Connecticut  3 –3  6 –4   Coast Guard  3 –3  4 –5   WPI  2 –4  4 –6   Plymouth State  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hanover $^  6 –0  8 –3   Anderson (IN)  5 –1  7 –3   Mount St. Joseph  4 –2  6 –4   Defiance  3 –3  4 –6   Franklin (IN)  2 –4  2 –8   Manchester  1 –5  2 –8   Bluffton  0 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Concordia (WI) $^  7 –0  9 –2   Lakeland  6 –1  8 –2   Aurora  5 –2  5 –5   MacMurray  3 –4  5 –5   Greenville  2 –5  3 –7   Benedictine (IL)  2 –5  2 –8   Concordia (IL)  2 –5  2 –8   Eureka  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Wartburg $^  8 –0  11 –1   No. 23 Simpson (IA)  7 –1  9 –2   Loras  5 –3  7 –3   Buena Vista  4 –4  6 –4   Luther  4 –4  6 –4   Central (IA)  3 –5  5 –5   Coe  3 –5  5 –5   Cornell (IA)  2 –6  4 –6   Dubuque  1 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hope $^  5 –1  7 –4   Adrian  4 –2  8 –2   Albion  4 –2  6 –4   Alma  3 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin Lutheran  3 –3  5 –5   Kalamazoo  2 –4  6 –4   Olivet  0 –6  4 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Lycoming $^  8 –1  9 –2   Delaware Valley  7 –2  9 –2   Wilkes  7 –2  8 –3   Albright  6 –3  7 –3   King's (PA)  6 –3  7 –4   Widener  4 –5  5 –5   Susquehanna  4 –5  4 –6   Juniata  3 –6  3 –7   Moravian  3 –6  3 –7   Lebanon Valley  1 –8  1 –9   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham  0 –9  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 St. Norbert $^  9 –0  11 –1   Monmouth (IL)  8 –1  8 –2   Lake Forest  6 –3  7 –3   Ripon  5 –4  6 –4   Beloit  3 –6  4 –6   Illinois College  3 –6  4 –6   Knox  3 –6  4 –6   Carroll (WI)  3 –6  3 –7   Lawrence  3 –6  3 –7   Grinnell  2 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 –0 –014 –0 –0 No. 12 Bethel (MN) ^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Augsburg 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 St. Olaf 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Carleton 1 –7 –03 –7 –0 Hamline 0 –8 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Westfield State xy  6 –0  7 –3   Worcester State  5 –1  8 –3   Bridgewater State  4 –2  6 –3   Fitchburg State  3 –3  5 –4   Massachusetts Maritime  2 –4  2 –7   Maine Maritime  1 –5  1 –8   Framingham State  0 –6  0 –9   Boyd Division Curry xy$^  6 –0  11 –1   UMass Dartmouth  4 –2  9 –2   Nichols  4 –2  6 –4   Endicott  3 –3  5 –4   Salve Regina  2 –4  2 –8   MIT  1 –5  3 –6   Western New England  1 –5  2 –7   Championship: Curry 36, Westfield State 0 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (CT) $  8 –0  8 –0   Williams  6 –2  6 –2   Colby  5 –3  5 –3   Tufts  5 –3  5 –3   Amherst  4 –4  4 –4   Middlebury  4 –4  4 –4   Wesleyan  4 –4  4 –4   Bates  2 –6  2 –6   Hamilton  2 –6  2 –6   Bowdoin  0 –8  0 –8   $ – Conference champion |
| 2003 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Montclair State $^  5 –0  9 –2   TCNJ  4 –1  6 –4   Rowan  3 –2  7 –3   Cortland  2 –3  5 –5   Kean  1 –4  1 –9   William Paterson  0 –5  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Allegheny $^  7 –0  7 –4   Wittenberg  4 –2  8 –2   Wabash  4 –2  7 –3   Oberlin  4 –2  5 –5   Wooster  4 –3  7 –3   Ohio Wesleyan  2 –4  4 –6   Denison  2 –4  3 –7   Earlham  1 –5  2 –8   Hiram  0 –6  1 –9   Kenyon  0 –0  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Linfield $^  5 –0  11 –1   Willamette  4 –1  7 –3   Pacific Lutheran  3 –2  6 –3   Whitworth  2 –3  4 –6   Lewis & Clark  1 –4  3 –6   Puget Sound  0 –5  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Mount Union $^  9 –0  13 –1   No. 9 Baldwin–Wallace ^  8 –1  10 –2   Capital  7 –2  8 –2   John Carroll  6 –3  7 –3   Muskingum  4 –5  5 –5   Ohio Northern  4 –5  4 –6   Otterbein  3 –6  3 –7   Wilmington (OH)  2 –7  2 –8   Marietta  1 –8  2 –8   Heidelberg  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Bridgewater $^  6 –0  12 –2   No. 21 Hampden–Sydney  5 –1  9 –1   Emory & Henry  3 –3  5 –5   Randolph–Macon  3 –3  4 –6   Catholic University  2 –4  3 –7   Washington and Lee  1 –5  3 –7   Guilford  1 –5  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Waynesburg $^  6 –0  9 –2   Washington & Jefferson  4 –1  8 –2   Westminster (PA)  3 –2  5 –5   Grove City  2 –3  5 –5   Thiel  1 –4  3 –7   Bethany (WV)  0 –5  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Redlands $^  5 –1  6 –4   Occidental  4 –2  7 –2   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps  4 –2  6 –3   Cal Lutheran  4 –2  5 –4   Pomona-Pitzer  3 –3  5 –4   Whittier  1 –5  1 –8   La Verne  0 –6  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2003 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Centre +  5 –1  8 –2   No. 24 Trinity (TX) +^  5 –1  8 –3   Rhodes  4 –2  7 –3   DePauw  3 –3  5 –5   Rose–Hulman  3 –3  5 –5   Millsaps  1 –5  1 –9   Sewanee  0 –6  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington University $  3 –0  6 –4   Carnegie Mellon  2 –1  6 –4   Chicago  1 –2  2 –7   Case Western Reserve  0 –3  5 –4   $ – Conference champion |
| 2003 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Martin Luther x  5 –2  7 –2   Northwestern (MN) x  5 –2  6 –4   Minnesota Morris  4 –2  5 –6   Crown  3 –4  4 –7   Trinity Bible  0 –7  0 –9   South Westminster (MO) x$  7 –0  7 –2   Rockford  5 –1  7 –3   Principia  2 –5  3 –6   Maranatha Baptist  2 –5  2 –7   Blackburn  1 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-champions | 2003 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 RPI +^  3 –1  11 –2   Hobart +  3 –1  6 –4   Rochester (NY)  2 –2  5 –5   Union (NY)  2 –2  5 –5   St. Lawrence  0 –4  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Shenandoah +  5 –1  8 –2   No. 19 Christopher Newport +^  5 –1  8 –3   Ferrum  3 –2  6 –4   Averett  3 –3  5 –4   Methodist  3 –3  4 –5   Greensboro  1 –5  3 –7   Chowan  0 –5  2 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2003 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Wisconsin–La Crosse $^  6 –1  10 –2   No. 18 Wisconsin–Stevens Point  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Whitewater  5 –2  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stout  4 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  4 –3  5 –5   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  2 –7   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  1 –6  4 –6   Wisconsin–Platteville  1 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2003 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Brockport ^   –  9 –2   Menlo   –  7 –3   Thomas More   –  6 –4   Mount Ida   –  4 –6   Chapman   –  3 –7   Colorado College   –  2 –7   Buffalo State   –  2 –8   Maryville (TN)   –  2 –8   Macalester   –  1 –8   Huntingdon   –  0 –7   Husson   –  0 –7   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – East Texas Baptist, Hardin–Simmons, and Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Atlantic Central Football Conference – Frostburg State
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Wheaton (IL)
* Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca
* Freedom Football Conference‡ – Springfield
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover
* Illini-Badger Football Conference – Concordia (WI)
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wartburg
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming
* Midwest Conference – St. Norbert
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Westfield State (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Curry 36, Westfield State 0
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT)
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – Montclair State
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Waynesburg
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Centre and Trinity (TX)
* University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Westminster (MO)
* Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hobart and RPI
* USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport and Shenandoah
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

## Postseason

The 2003 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 31st 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 11th time. This was the fifth 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 | 39 | | | | | | | | | |
| UW–La Crosse | UW–La Crosse | 52 | UW–La Crosse | UW–La Crosse | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Concordia Wisconsin | Concordia Wisconsin | 13 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 56 | | | | | | |
| Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 55 | | | | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 10 | | | | | | |
| Hope | Hope | 45 | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| Baldwin Wallace | Baldwin Wallace | 54 | Baldwin Wallace | Baldwin Wallace | 12 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hanover | Hanover | 32 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 66 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 0 | | | |
| | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 16* | | | | | | | | | |
| East Texas Baptist | East Texas Baptist | 42 | East Texas Baptist | East Texas Baptist | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 41 | | | | Lycoming | Lycoming | 9 | | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 28 | | | | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 13 | | | | | | |
| Waynesburg | Waynesburg | 24 | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 24 | Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 20 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 24 |
| | | | Springfield | Springfield | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| RPI | RPI | 34 | RPI | RPI | 40 | | | | | | | | | |
| Curry | Curry | 20 | | | | RPI | RPI | 21 | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 14 | | | | Ithaca | Ithaca | 16 | | | | | | |
| Brockport | Brockport | 9 | Ithaca | Ithaca | 33 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montclair State | Montclair State | 20 | Montclair State | Montclair State | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 19 | | | | | | | RPI | RPI | 10 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 38 | | | |
| | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Norbert | St. Norbert | 26** | St. Norbert | St. Norbert | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | Simpson | 20 | | | | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 31 | | | | | | |
| Wartburg | Wartburg | 21 | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 25 | | | | | | |
| Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 7 | Wartburg | Wartburg | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| Linfield | Linfield | 31 | Linfield | Linfield | 23 | | | | | | | | | |
| Redlands | Redlands | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime

## Final D3football.com Poll

| Team | Final Record | Points |
| 1. St. John's (25) | 14–0 | 625 |
| 2. Mount Union | 13–1 | 595 |
| 3. Linfield | 11–1 | 575 |
| 4. Wartburg | 11–1 | 489 |
| 5. RPI | 11–2 | 483 |
| 6. Wheaton | 12–1 | 475 |
| 7. Bridgewater | 12–2 | 453 |
| 8. UW-La Crosse | 10–2 | 441 |
| 9. Baldwin-Wallace | 10–2 | 399 |
| 10. Ithaca | 10–3 | 355 |
| 11. Lycoming | 9–2 | 353 |
| 12. Bethel | 9–2 | 342 |
| 13. Springfield | 10–1 | 336 |
| 14. East Texas Baptist | 9–3 | 259 |
| 15. Mary Hardin-Baylor | 9–1 | 234 |
| 16. St. Norbert | 11–1 | 218 |
| 17. Montclair State | 9–2 | 189 |
| 18. UW-Stevens Point | 8–2 | 176 |
| 19. Christopher Newport | 8–3 | 175 |
| 20. Brockport State | 9–2 | 163 |
| 21. Hampden-Sydney | 9–1 | 140 |
| 22. Waynesburg | 9–2 | 103 |
| 23. Simpson | 9–2 | 81 |
| 24. Trinty(Tx.) | 8–3 | 66 |
| 25. Johns Hopkins | 10–1 | 60 |
Others receiving votes: 26. Capital 50, 27. Hardin-SImmons 47, 28. Allegheny 42, 29. Trinity(Conn.) 38, 30. Redlands 22, 31. Hope 21, 32. UW-Whitewater 19, 32. Hanover 19, 34. Curry 18, 35. Concordia(Wis.) 16, 36. Washington and Jefferson 12, 37. Muhlenberg 9, 38. Rowan 7, 38. Augustana 7, 40. Delaware Valley 6, 41. Menlo 3, 42. Willamette 2, 43. New Jersey 1, 43. Shenandoah 1.

## Awards

Gagliardi Trophy: Blake Elliott
AFCA Coach of the Year: John Gagliardi
AFCA Regional Coach of the Year: Region 1: Mike DeLong, Springfield College Region 2: Jeff Hand, Waynesburg College Region 3: Ralph Harris, East Texas Baptist University Region 4: Mike Swider, Wheaton College Region 5: John Gagliardi, St. John’s University (Minn.)