# 1979 NCAA Division III football season

The 1979 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1979, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1979 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Ithaca Bombers won their first Division III championship, defeating the Wittenberg Tigers by a final score of 14−10 in a re-match of the 1975 championship (won by Wittenberg).

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 1978 conference | 1979 conference |
| FDU–Florham | D-III Independent | Middle Atlantic |
| Central Florida | New program | D-III Independent |
| Duquesne | Revived program | D-III Independent |

## Conference standings

1979 College Athletic Conference football standings :
| 1979 College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Sewanee + 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 Rose–Hulman + 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Southwestern (TN) + 3 –1 –04 –6 –0 Centre 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Principia 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1979 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Millikin $ 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 Elmhurst 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Augustana (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 North Central (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 North Park 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Carroll (WI) 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Wheaton (IL) 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Carthage 0 –8 –00 –8 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Ithaca $^ 2 –0 –011 –2 –0 Alfred 2 –1 –07 –2 –0 Hobart 2 –1 –04 –5 –0 St. Lawrence 1 –3 –03 –6 –0 RPI 0 –2 –03 –4 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1979 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Dubuque $^ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 Buena Vista 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Central (IA) 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Wartburg 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Luther 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 Simpson (IA) 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 William Penn 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Upper Iowa 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1979 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Pace $ 5 –0 –07 –1 –1 St. John's 4 –1 –04 –5 –1 Iona 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Marist 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 Saint Peter's 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 Brooklyn 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1979 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hope $ 4 –0 –17 –1 –1 Adrian 3 –1 –16 –2 –1 Albion 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Kalamazoo 2 –3 –05 –3 –0 Olivet 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Alma 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1979 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern Division Lycoming x 6 –0 –18 –1 –1 Upsala 5 –1 –18 –1 –1 Juniata 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Wilkes 4 –3 –04 –4 –0 Delaware Valley 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Albright 3 –4 –03 –6 –0 Susquehanna 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 Southern Division Widener x^ 8 –0 –010 –1 –0 Franklin & Marshall 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Western Maryland 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Muhlenberg 4 –3 –15 –3 –1 Swarthmore 4 –3 –14 –4 –1 Johns Hopkins 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Lebanon Valley 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Gettysburg 4 –4 –05 –6 –0 Ursinus 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Dickinson 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Moravian 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1979 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Red Division Lawrence xy$ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Cornell (IA) 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Knox 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 Monmouth (IL) 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Coe 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Ripon 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Blue Division Carleton xy 4 –0 –04 –5 –0 Beloit 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Lake Forest 2 –2 –03 –5 –0 Grinnell 1 –3 –02 –6 –0 Chicago 1 –3 –01 –7 –0 Championship: Lawrence 52, Carleton 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 1979 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Saint John's (MN) + 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 St. Olaf + 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 15 Concordia–Moorhead + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 No. 17 St. Thomas (MN) + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Hamline 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Augsburg 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Bethel (MN) 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Macalester 0 –8 –00 –8 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1979 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T New Haven $ 8 –0 –18 –0 –1 Framingham State 6 –3 –06 –3 –0 Nichols 6 –3 –06 –3 –0 Massachusetts Maritime 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Boston State 4 –5 –04 –5 –0 Maine Maritime 4 –5 –04 –5 –0 Plymouth State 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Bridgewater State 3 –5 –13 –5 –1 Curry 2 –7 –02 –7 –0 Western Connecticut State 1 –8 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1979 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Montclair State $ 4 –0 –18 –1 –1 Trenton State 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 William Paterson 3 –1 –15 –4 –1 Glassboro State 2 –3 –02 –8 –0 Kean 1 –4 –04 –5 –1 Jersey City State 0 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1979 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Minnesota Duluth + 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 Moorhead State + 7 –1 –08 –3 –0 Minnesota Morris ^ 6 –2 –09 –2 –0 St. Cloud State 5 –3 –05 –6 –0 Mankato State 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 Michigan Tech 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 Southwest State (MN) 2 –6 –04 –7 –0 Bemidji State 1 –7 –01 –8 –1 Winona State 0 –8 –00 –11 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1979 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Blue Division Wittenberg xy$^ 5 –0 –011 –1 –0 Otterbein 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Wooster 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 Capital 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 Muskingum 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 Marietta 0 –5 –02 –7 –0 Red Division Baldwin–Wallace ^ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Denison xy 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Mount Union 3 –2 –07 –2 –0 Ohio Northern 3 –2 –05 –3 –1 Ohio Wesleyan 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Heidelberg 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 Not competing for championship Oberlin   –  3 –6 –0 Kenyon   –  2 –7 –0 Championship: Wittenberg 56, Denison 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1979 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Randolph–Macon $ 4 –0 –05 –5 –0 Emory & Henry 2 –2 –04 –6 –0 Hampden–Sydney 2 –2 –04 –6 –0 Bridgewater 1 –3 –04 –5 –0 Washington and Lee 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1979 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T East Division Cheyney xy 4 –1 –09 –2 –0 Millersville x^ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 East Stroudsburg 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Kutztown 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 Bloomsburg 1 –4 –02 –8 –0 Mansfield 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 West Division Lock Haven xy$ 6 –0 –09 –2 –0 Clarion 5 –1 –09 –1 –0 Indiana (PA) 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Slippery Rock 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Edinboro 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Shippensburg 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 California (PA) 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Championship: Lock Haven 48, Cheyney 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 1979 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carnegie Mellon $^ 7 –0 –010 –1 –0 Bethany (WV) 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Thiel 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Allegheny 3 –4 –03 –5 –0 Hiram 3 –4 –03 –5 –0 John Carroll 3 –4 –03 –6 –0 Case Western Reserve 1 –6 –03 –6 –0 Washington & Jefferson 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1979 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Claremont-Mudd $ 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Whittier 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Redlands 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 La Verne 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Occidental 1 –4 –02 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1979 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Wisconsin–River Falls $^ 7 –1 –09 –1 –0 No. 20 Wisconsin–La Crosse 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 –2 –07 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Platteville 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Wisconsin–Eau Claire forfeited two non-conference games.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1979 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wabash   –  8 –1 –0 Norwich   –  8 –2 –0 Maryville (TN)   –  7 –2 –0 Dayton   –  8 –2 –1 UCF   –  6 –2 –0 Millsaps   –  7 –3 –0 Albany   –  6 –3 –0 Catholic University   –  6 –3 –0 Salisbury State   –  6 –3 –0 Georgetown   –  5 –3 –0 Hofstra   –  5 –3 –1 Frostburg State   –  6 –4 –0 Saint Mary's   –  6 –4 –0 Brockport   –  5 –4 –0 Canisius   –  5 –4 –0 Duquesne   –  5 –4 –0 Rochester (NY)   –  5 –4 –0 Wagner   –  5 –5 –0 San Diego   –  5 –6 –0 Buffalo   –  4 –5 –0 Colorado College   –  4 –5 –0 Union (NY)   –  3 –5 –0 Grove City   –  3 –6 –0 Saint Francis (PA)   –  2 –6 –0 DePauw   –  2 –7 –0 Cortland   –  1 –9 –0 St. Norbert   –  1 –9 –0 Fordham   –  0 –9 –0 |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* College Athletic Conference – Southwestern at Memphis, Rose–Hulman, and Sewanee
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Millikin
* Independent College Athletic Conference – Ithaca
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Dubuque
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming (North), Widener (South)
* Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lawrence
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead, Saint John's (MN), St. Olaf, and St. Thomas (MN)
* New England Football Conference – New Haven
* New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State
* Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Denison (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division)
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Randolph-Macon
* Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference‡ – Lock Haven
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Claremont–Mudd–Scripps
* Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Austin
* Twin Rivers Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–River Falls

## Postseason

The 1979 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the seventh annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the seventh consecutive year. Like the previous four championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

### Playoff bracket

| Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL | National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL | National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 21 | | | | | | |
| Millersville | Millersville | 14 | | | | | | |
| Millersville | Millersville | 14 | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 17 | | | |
| | | | Widener | Widener | 14 | | | |
| Widener | Widener | 29 | Widener | Widener | 14 | | | |
| Baldwin Wallace | Baldwin Wallace | 8 | | | | | | |
| Baldwin Wallace | Baldwin Wallace | 8 | | | | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 10 |
| | | | | | | Ithaca | Ithaca | 14 |
| Carnegie Mellon | Carnegie Mellon | 31 | | | | | | | Ithaca | Ithaca | 14 |
| Minnesota–Morris | Minnesota–Morris | 25 | | | | | | |
| Minnesota–Morris | Minnesota–Morris | 25 | Carnegie Mellon | Carnegie Mellon | 6 | | | |
| | | | Ithaca | Ithaca | 15 | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 27 | Ithaca | Ithaca | 15 | | | |
| Dubuque | Dubuque | 7 | | | | | | |