# 2009 NCAA Division III football season

The 2009 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 2009, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2009 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks won their second Division III championship by defeating the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 38−28. This was the fifth of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins).
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Blaine Westemeyer, offensive tackle from Augustana (IL).

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2008 conference | 2009 conference |
| Blackburn | SLIAC | Program dropped |
| Colorado College | SCAC | Program dropped |
| Principia | UMAC | Program dropped |

## Conference standings

2009 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2009 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Mary Hardin–Baylor +^  7 –1  10 –2   No. 20 Mississippi College +^  7 –1  9 –3   Louisiana College  6 –2  7 –3   Hardin–Simmons  5 –3  6 –4   McMurry  4 –4  4 –6   East Texas Baptist  3 –5  3 –7   Howard Payne  2 –6  4 –6   Sul Ross  2 –6  2 –8   Texas Lutheran  0 –8  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Wesley $^  3 –0  13 –1   Salisbury  2 –1  5 –6   Frostburg State  1 –2  1 –9   Apprentice §  0 –3  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant§ – Not an NCAA memberRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Johns Hopkins $^  7 –1  10 –3   Franklin & Marshall  6 –2  9 –2   Dickinson  6 –2  8 –2   Ursinus  6 –2  6 –5   McDaniel  3 –5  5 –5   Gettysburg  3 –5  3 –7   Muhlenberg  2 –6  3 –7   Moravian  2 –6  2 –8   Juniata  1 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2009 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan +^  6 –1  10 –2   No. 21 North Central (IL) +  6 –1  8 –2   Carthage  4 –3  7 –3   Wheaton (IL)  4 –3  7 –3   Augustana (IL)  4 –3  6 –4   Millikin  3 –4  6 –4   Elmhurst  1 –6  4 –6   North Park  0 –7  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Norwich $  6 –0  8 –3   Gallaudet  4 –2  6 –4   Mount Ida  4 –2  4 –7   SUNY Maritime  3 –3  6 –4   Husson  3 –3  4 –5   Castleton  1 –5  3 –6   Becker  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion | 2009 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Alfred +^  4 –1  8 –2   St. John Fisher +  4 –1  7 –3   Springfield  3 –2  8 –2   Ithaca  3 –2  7 –3   Hartwick  1 –4  5 –5   Utica  0 –5  4 –6   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2009 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mount St. Joseph $^  7 –0  9 –2   Franklin (IN)  5 –2  7 –3   Manchester  5 –2  5 –5   Rose-Hulman  4 –3  6 –4   Defiance  3 –4  4 –6   Hanover  3 –4  3 –7   Anderson (IN)  1 –6  1 –9   Bluffton  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2009 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Central (IA) $^  8 –0  10 –1   No. 10 Coe ^  7 –1  10 –2   Wartburg  5 –3  6 –4   Dubuque  4 –4  5 –5   Luther  4 –4  5 –5   Buena Vista  3 –5  4 –6   Simpson (IA)  2 –6  3 –7   Loras  2 –6  2 –8   Cornell (IA)  1 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Susquehanna +^  6 –1  8 –3   Union (NY) +  6 –1  8 –3   Hobart  5 –2  6 –3   Rochester (NY)  4 –3  4 –6   RPI  3 –4  5 –4   Merchant Marine  2 –5  4 –6   St. Lawrence  2 –5  3 –7   WPI  0 –7  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2009 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Trine $^  6 –0  10 –2   Adrian  4 –2  6 –4   Albion  4 –2  4 –6   Alma  3 –3  5 –5   Hope  3 –3  3 –7   Kalamazoo  1 –5  4 –6   Olivet  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Delaware Valley $^  7 –0  10 –2   No. 15 Albright ^  6 –1  11 –2   Lebanon Valley  5 –2  9 –2   Wilkes  3 –4  6 –5   Lycoming  3 –4  4 –6   King's  2 –5  3 –7   Widener  1 –6  3 –7   FDU Florham  1 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Monmouth (IL) $^  9 –0  10 –1   St. Norbert  8 –1  9 –1   Ripon  7 –2  7 –3   Beloit  5 –4  6 –4   Carroll (WI)  5 –4  5 –5   Illinois College  5 –4  5 –5   Grinnell  2 –7  2 –8   Lake Forest  2 –7  2 –8   Lawrence  1 –8  2 –8   Knox  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Saint John's (MN) $^  8 –0  10 –1   No. 5 St. Thomas (MN) ^  7 –1  11 –2   Bethel (MN)  6 –2  7 –3   Concordia–Moorhead  3 –5  5 –5   St. Olaf  3 –5  5 –5   Augsburg  3 –5  4 –6   Gustavus Adolphus  3 –5  4 –6   Hamline  2 –6  4 –6   Carleton  1 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Maine Maritime xy$^  6 –1  9 –2   Bridgewater State  5 –2  7 –3   Westfield State  5 –2  7 –3   Coast Guard  4 –3  4 –5   Framingham State  3 –4  5 –5   Fitchburg State  2 –5  4 –6   Massachusetts Maritime  2 –5  3 –7   Worcester State  1 –6  1 –9   Boyd Division Curry xy  7 –0  8 –3   Plymouth State  6 –1  8 –3   Western New England  5 –2  6 –4   Endicott  3 –4  5 –5   Nichols  3 –4  4 –6   Salve Regina  3 –4  4 –6   MIT  1 –6  1 –8   UMass Dartmouth  0 –7  0 –10   Championship: Maine Maritime 48, Curry 42 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2009 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Amherst $  8 –0  8 –0   Trinity (CT)  6 –2  6 –2   Williams  6 –2  6 –2   Middlebury  5 –3  5 –3   Colby  4 –4  4 –4   Bowdoin  3 –5  3 –5   Wesleyan  3 –5  3 –5   Hamilton  2 –6  2 –6   Tufts  2 –6  2 –6   Bates  1 –7  1 –7   $ – Conference champion |
| 2009 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Montclair State $^  9 –0  10 –2   Kean  8 –1  9 –2   Cortland *  7 –2  7 –4   Rowan  6 –3  7 –3   William Paterson  4 –5  5 –5   Brockport  3 –6  4 –6   TCNJ  3 –6  4 –6   Buffalo State  2 –7  2 –8   Western Connecticut  2 –7  2 –8   Morrisville State  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Cortland later vacated all its wins. Rankings from D3football.com | 2009 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Wittenberg $^  7 –0  12 –1   No. 19 Wabash ^  6 –1  9 –2   Allegheny  5 –2  8 –2   Wooster  4 –3  5 –5   Earlham  3 –4  5 –5   Kenyon  3 –4  3 –7   Ohio Wesleyan  3 –4  3 –7   Denison  2 –5  3 –7   Oberlin  2 –5  2 –8   Hiram  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Northern Athletics Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lakeland $^  6 –1  6 –5   Concordia (IL)  5 –2  8 –2   Benedictine (IL)  5 –2  6 –4   Concordia (WI)  5 –2  5 –5   Wisconsin Lutheran  4 –3  5 –5   Aurora  2 –5  4 –6   Rockford  1 –6  1 –9   Maranatha Baptist  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2009 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Linfield $^  6 –0  12 –1   No. 24 Willamette  5 –1  8 –2   Whitworth  3 –3  5 –5   Menlo  3 –3  4 –6   Pacific Lutheran  3 –3  3 –6   Lewis & Clark  1 –5  2 –7   Puget Sound  0 –6  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Mount Union $^  9 –0  14 –1   No. 13 Ohio Northern  7 –2  8 –2   Otterbein  7 –2  8 –2   Capital  6 –3  7 –3   Muskingum  4 –5  4 –6   Heidelberg  3 –6  4 –6   Baldwin–Wallace  3 –6  3 –7   John Carroll  3 –6  3 –7   Marietta  2 –7  3 –7   Wilmington (OH)  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Hampden–Sydney $^  6 –0  10 –1   Bridgewater  4 –2  7 –3   Randolph–Macon  4 –2  6 –4   Emory & Henry  3 –3  7 –3   Washington and Lee  2 –4  4 –6   Guilford  2 –4  3 –7   Catholic University  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2009 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Thomas More $^  6 –0  11 –1   Washington & Jefferson ^  5 –1  9 –2   Grove City  4 –2  5 –5   Waynesburg  2 –4  5 –5   Westminster (PA)  2 –4  4 –6   Bethany (WV)  1 –5  3 –7   Thiel  1 –5  3 –7   Geneva #   –  8 –3   Saint Vincent #   –  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Divisional III member; games not counted in standings Rankings from D3football.com | 2009 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Cal Lutheran $^  6 –0  8 –2   Occidental  5 –1  7 –2   Redlands  4 –2  7 –2   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  3 –3  5 –4   Pomona–Pitzer  2 –4  4 –5   Whittier  1 –5  3 –6   La Verne  0 –6  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  DePauw +^  5 –1  7 –3   Millsaps +  5 –1  7 –3   Centre  4 –2  7 –2   Trinity (TX)  4 –2  7 –3   Austin  2 –4  4 –5   Rhodes  1 –5  3 –7   Sewanee  0 –6  0 –9   Birmingham–Southern #   –  4 –6   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member; games not counted in standings |
| 2009 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 23 Case Western Reserve $^  3 –0  10 –1   Chicago  1 –2  5 –4   Carnegie Mellon  1 –2  5 –5   Washington University  1 –2  4 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Martin Luther x  4 –0  7 –3   Northwestern (MN)  3 –1  5 –5   St. Scholastica  2 –2  4 –6   Crown  1 –3  4 –6   Minnesota–Morris  0 –4  4 –6   South Greenville x  3 –0  7 –3   Westminster (MO)  2 –1  5 –5   Eureka  1 –2  4 –6   MacMurray  0 –3  1 –9   x – Division champion/co-champions | 2009 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Carolina Wesleyan $^  7 –0  8 –3   Averett  5 –2  7 –3   Christopher Newport  4 –3  5 –5   Greensboro  4 –3  5 –5   Ferrum  3 –4  5 –5   Maryville (TN)  3 –4  4 –6   Methodist  2 –5  3 –7   Shenandoah  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2009 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^  7 –0  15 –0   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  6 –1  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stout  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  4 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin–La Crosse  2 –5  5 –5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–Platteville  1 –6  3 –7   Wisconsin–River Falls  1 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2009 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Huntingdon ^   –  8 –3   LaGrange   –  5 –5   Chapman   –  4 –5   Macalester   –  2 –8   Anna Maria   –  0 –9   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor and Mississippi College
* Atlantic Central Football Conference – Wesley
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Illinois Wesleyan and North Central (IL)
* Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Norwich
* Empire 8 Conference – Alfred and St. John Fisher and
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Mount St. Joseph
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA)
* Liberty League – Susquehanna and Union (NY)
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Trine
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley
* Midwest Conference – Monmouth (IL)
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Maine Maritime (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Maine Maritime 48, Curry 42
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Amherst
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – Montclair State
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Wittenberg
* Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Lakeland
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Hampden–Sydney
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thomas More
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – DePauw and Millsaps
* University Athletic Association – Case Western Reserve
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Martin Luther and Greenville
* USA South Athletic Conference – North Carolina Wesleyan
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

## Postseason

The 2009 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 37th 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 17th time.

### Qualification

Twenty-three conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, four conferences had no Pool A bid. The ECFC and UMAC were in the first year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC and UAA failed to meet the seven-member requirement.
Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 23 Pool A conferences contained 196 schools, an average of 8.5 teams per conference. Twenty-eight schools were in Pool B, enough for three bids.
The remaining six playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### 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 | 55 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 0 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 62 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montclair State | Montclair State | 38 | Montclair State | Montclair State | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Maine Maritime | Maine Maritime | 22 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 55 | | | | | | |
| Albright | Albright | 35 | | | | Albright | Albright | 3 | | | | | | |
| Alfred | Alfred | 25 | Albright | Albright | 27 | | | | | | | | | |
| Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 66 | Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Susquehanna | Susquehanna | 7 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 24 | | | |
| Wesley | Wesley | 55 | | | | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 7 | | | |
| North Carolina Wesleyan | North Carolina Wesleyan | 23 | Wesley | Wesley | 43 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mississippi College | Mississippi College | 56 | Mississippi College | Mississippi College | 9 | | | | | | | | | |
| Huntingdon | Huntingdon | 35 | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 12 | | | | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 23 | | | | Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 0 | | | | | | |
| Hampden–Sydney | Hampden–Sydney | 7 | Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| Thomas More | Thomas More | 49 | Thomas More | Thomas More | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| DePauw | DePauw | 39 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 28 |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 70 | | | | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 38 |
| Lakeland | Lakeland | 7 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 41 | Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wabash | Wabash | 35 | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 31 | | | | | | |
| Trine | Trine | 51 | | | | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 13 | | | | | | |
| Case Western | Case Western | 38 | Trine | Trine | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 42 | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount St. Joseph | Mount St. Joseph | 14 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 27 | | | |
| Coe | Coe | 34 | | | | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 17 | | | |
| Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 27 | Coe | Coe | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 43 | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Monmouth (IL) | Monmouth (IL) | 21 | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 20 | | | | | | |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 42 | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 31 | | | | | | |
| Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 40 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Linfield | Linfield | 38 | Linfield | Linfield | 53 | | | | | | | | | |
| Cal Lutheran | Cal Lutheran | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime