# 1986 NCAA Division III football season

The 1986 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 1986, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1986 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Augustana (IL) Vikings won the fourth of their four consecutive Division III championships by defeating the Salisbury State Sea Gulls by a final score of 31−3.

## Conference standings

1986 Centennial Conference football standings :
| 1986 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Franklin & Marshall + 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 Muhlenberg + 6 –1 –07 –3 –0 Gettysburg 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Swarthmore 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Johns Hopkins 2 –4 –13 –5 –1 Ursinus 2 –4 –12 –6 –1 Dickinson 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Western Maryland 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1986 College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Rose–Hulman $ 4 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. 13 Centre 3 –1 –08 –1 –0 Rhodes 2 –2 –06 –3 –0 Sewanee 1 –3 –02 –7 –0 Earlham 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Augustana (IL) $^ 7 –0 –112 –0 –1 Millikin 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wheaton (IL) 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 –3 –15 –3 –1 North Central (IL) 4 –3 –15 –3 –1 Carthage 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Elmhurst 2 –5 –12 –6 –1 Carroll (WI) 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 North Park 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll |
| 1986 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Ithaca $^ 3 –0 –011 –1 –0 Alfred 2 –1 –09 –2 –0 Hobart 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 St. Lawrence 1 –3 –03 –5 –1 RPI 0 –2 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Central (IA) $^ 8 –0 –011 –1 –0 No. T–15 Buena Vista ^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 Luther 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Loras 5 –3 –06 –5 –0 Wartburg 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 William Penn 3 –5 –03 –6 –1 Dubuque 2 –6 –02 –9 –0 Simpson (IA) 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Upper Iowa 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Liberty Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Merchant Marine $ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Fordham 3 –1 –14 –5 –1 St. John's 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Pace 2 –2 –15 –4 –1 C. W. Post 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Iona 0 –5 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1986 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Hope $^ 4 –0 –17 –2 –1 Adrian 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 Albion 3 –1 –16 –2 –1 Alma 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 Kalamazoo 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Olivet 0 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Susquehanna $^ 9 –0 –011 –1 –0 Juniata 7 –2 –09 –2 –0 Lycoming 7 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wilkes 6 –3 –06 –3 –0 Widener 6 –3 –07 –4 –0 Moravian 3 –5 –14 –5 –1 Delaware Valley 3 –5 –13 –6 –1 Albright 2 –7 –03 –7 –0 Lebanon Valley 1 –8 –02 –8 –0 Upsala 0 –9 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Division Lawrence xy 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Lake Forest 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 Beloit 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 St. Norbert 3 –4 –03 –6 –0 Chicago 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 Ripon 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 South Division Coe xy$ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 Monmouth (IL) 6 –1 –08 –1 –0 Cornell (IA) 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Knox 3 –4 –03 –5 –1 Grinnell 2 –5 –03 –5 –0 Illinois College 0 –7 –01 –8 –0 Championship: Lawrence 14, Coe 10 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant |
| 1986 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Concordia–Moorhead $^ 9 –0 –011 –2 –0 Macalester 6 –2 –17 –2 –1 Carleton 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 Saint John's (MN) 4 –4 –14 –4 –1 St. Olaf 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Hamline 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Augsburg 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Bethel (MN) 0 –9 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Plymouth State $ 8 –0 –19 –1 –1 Curry 8 –1 –08 –1 –0 Bridgewater State 6 –1 –26 –1 –2 Framingham State 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 Westfield State 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Massachusetts Maritime 5 –4 –15 –4 –1 Worcester State 4 –5 –04 –5 –0 Nichols 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 Western New England 2 –7 –02 –7 –0 Maine Maritime 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Fitchburg State 0 –9 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1986 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Montclair State $^ 6 –0 –010 –2 –0 Glassboro State 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 William Paterson 3 –2 –16 –3 –1 Jersey City State 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Trenton State 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Kean 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Ramapo 0 –5 –10 –9 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll |
| 1986 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–15 Denison $ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 Case Western Reserve 5 –1 –07 –1 –1 Allegheny 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Wooster 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Kenyon 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Oberlin 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 Ohio Wesleyan 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Mount Union $^ 8 –0 –011 –1 –0 Baldwin–Wallace 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Muskingum 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Wittenberg 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Marietta 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Heidelberg 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Capital 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Otterbein 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 Ohio Northern 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 Emory & Henry $^ 5 –0 –010 –2 –0 Hampden–Sydney 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Randolph–Macon 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Maryville (TN) 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 Bridgewater 1 –4 –02 –6 –1 Washington and Lee 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll |
| 1986 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 18 Washington & Jefferson $^ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Carnegie Mellon 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Grove City 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Hiram 3 –3 –05 –3 –1 John Carroll 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Thiel 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Bethany (WV) 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 Claremont-Mudd $ 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 La Verne 3 –1 –16 –3 –0 Occidental 3 –1 –15 –3 –1 Whittier 2 –2 –15 –5 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 1 –3 –13 –6 –0 Redlands 0 –5 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference championEach 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.Rankings from NCAA Division III poll | 1986 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Wisconsin–La Crosse +* 7 –1 –010 –2 –0 Wisconsin–River Falls + 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. T–15 Wisconsin–Stevens Point +^ 7 –1 –08 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 4 –3 –16 –3 –1 Wisconsin–Platteville 3 –5 –06 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 –5 –12 –8 –1 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 2 –6 –04 –6 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll for Wisconsin–La Crosse and NCAA Division III poll for Wisconsin–Stevens Point |
| 1986 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Salisbury State ^   –  13 –1 –0 No. 1 Dayton ^   –  10 –1 –0 No. 9 Union (NY) ^   –  9 –1 –0 Villanova   –  8 –1 –0 No. 20 Buffalo   –  9 –2 –0 No. 12 Hofstra ^   –  9 –2 –0 Wagner   –  9 –2 –0 Millsaps   –  7 –2 –0 MacMurray   –  6 –3 –0 Wabash   –  6 –3 –0 Duquesne   –  5 –3 –1 DePauw   –  6 –4 –0 Mercyhurst   –  6 –4 –0 Western Connecticut State   –  6 –4 –0 Canisius   –  5 –4 –0 Colorado College   –  5 –4 –0 Stony Brook   –  5 –4 –0 Georgetown   –  4 –4 –0 Menlo   –  4 –4 –1 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –  4 –5 –0 Saint Francis (PA)   –  4 –5 –0 UC Santa Barbara   –  4 –5 –0 Albany   –  4 –6 –0 Brockport   –  4 –6 –0 Brooklyn   –  4 –6 –0 San Diego   –  4 –6 –0 Marist   –  3 –5 –0 Frostburg State   –  3 –7 –0 Ferrum   –  3 –8 –0 Catholic University   –  2 –8 –1 Aurora   –  1 –4 –0 Norwich   –  2 –8 –0 Rochester (NY)   –  1 –7 –1 Buffalo State   –  1 –8 –0 Cortland   –  1 –8 –0 Saint Peter's   –  0 –8 –0 Wesley   –  0 –8 –0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division III poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Centennial Conference – Franklin & Marshall and Muhlenberg
* College Athletic Conference – Rose–Hulman
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL)
* Independent College Athletic Conference – Ithaca
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA)
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Susquehanna
* Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lawrence
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead
* New England Football Conference – Plymouth State
* New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Denison
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Emory & Henry
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Claremont–Mudd–Scripps
* Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Tarleton State
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse, Wisconsin–River Falls, and Wisconsin–Stevens Point

## Postseason

The 1986 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 14th 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 Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the twelfth time and for the second consecutive year. Like the previous tournament, 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 Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, Alabama | National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, Alabama | National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, Alabama |
| Ithaca (OT) | Ithaca (OT) | 24 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Union (NY) | Union (NY) | 17 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Union (NY) | Union (NY) | 17 | Ithaca | Ithaca | 29 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Montclair State | Montclair State | 15 | | | | | | | |
| Montclair State | Montclair State | 24 | Montclair State | Montclair State | 15 | | | | | | | |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 21 | | | | Ithaca | Ithaca | 40 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 44 | | | | |
| Susquehanna | Susquehanna | 28 | | | | | | | Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 44 | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 20 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 20 | Susquehanna | Susquehanna | 17 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 31 | | | | | | | |
| Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 34 | Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 31 | | | | | | | |
| Emory and Henry | Emory and Henry | 20 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Emory and Henry | Emory and Henry | 20 | | | | | | | | Salisbury State | Salisbury State | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 31 |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 31 |
| Dayton | Dayton | 36 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dayton | Dayton | 36 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 7 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 16 | | | | | | | |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 34 | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 16 | | | | | | | |
| Hope | Hope | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hope | Hope | 10 | | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 41 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 7 | | | | |
| Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 37 | | | | | | | Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 7 | | | | |
| Buena Vista | Buena Vista | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Buena Vista | Buena Vista | 0 | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 14 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 24 | Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Wisconsin–Stevens Point | 15 | | | | | | | | | | |