# 2002 NCAA Division II football season

The 2002 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on September 7, 2002, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 2002, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Grand Valley State Lakers defeated the Valdosta State Blazers, 31–24, to win their first Division II national title.
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Curt Anes, quarterback from Grand Valley State.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2001 Conference | 2002 Conference |
| Gardner-Webb | D-II Independent | Big South (I-AA) |
| Saint Augustine's | Program Revived | CIAA (D-II) |
| Savannah State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |

## Conference standings

2002 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings :
| 2002 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Eastern Bowie State xy  5 –2  6 –5   Virginia State  5 –2  7 –3   Virginia Union  4 –3  6 –4   Elizabeth City State  2 –5  2 –8   Western No. 16 Fayetteville State xy$^  7 –0  10 –2   Winston-Salem State  4 –3  4 –6   North Carolina Central  2 –5  4 –6   Livingstone  2 –5  3 –7   Johnson C. Smith  1 –7  2 –8   St. Augustine's  0 –7  0 –8   Championship: Fayetteville State 17, Bowie State 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll | 2002 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Grand Valley State $^  9 –0  14 –0   No. 15 Saginaw Valley State ^  8 –2  9 –3   No. 19 Findlay  8 –2  9 –2   Northwood  7 –3  7 –4   Northern Michigan  6 –4  6 –5   Ferris State  4 –5  5 –5   Indianapolis  4 –6  5 –6   Hillsdale  4 –6  4 –7   Michigan Tech  3 –7  3 –7   Wayne State (MI)  3 –7  3 –8   Ashland  2 –8  2 –9   Mercyhurst  1 –9  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll | 2002 Great Northwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Central Washington $^  3 –0  11 –1   Western Washington  2 –1  6 –4   Western Oregon  1 –2  5 –5   Humboldt State  0 –3  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA Poll |
| 2002 Gulf South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Valdosta State $^  9 –0  14 –1   Harding  7 –2  9 –2   Central Arkansas  6 –3  8 –3   Southern Arkansas  6 –3  7 –4   Ouachita Baptist  5 –4  5 –5   Henderson State  5 –4  5 –6   Delta State  4 –5  4 –7   West Alabama  3 –6  5 –6   North Alabama  3 –6  4 –7   Arkansas Tech  3 –6  4 –7   Arkansas–Monticello  2 –7  2 –8   West Georgia  1 –8  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll | 2002 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 NW Missouri State $^  9 –0  12 –1   No. 8 Central Missouri State ^  8 –1  10 –2   No. 23 Emporia State  6 –3  9 –3   No. 13 Pittsburg State  6 –3  8 –3   Missouri Western  4 –5  6 –5   Truman  3 –6  5 –6   Missouri Southern  3 –6  5 –6   Washburn  3 –6  3 –8   Southwest Baptist  2 –7  3 –8   Missouri–Rolla  0 –9  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA Poll | 2002 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Northern Colorado $^  8 –0  12 –2   No. 21 St. Cloud State  6 –2  9 –2   Nebraska–Omaha  5 –3  6 –5   Augustana (SD)  4 –4  7 –4   South Dakota State  4 –4  6 –4   North Dakota  3 –5  5 –6   Minnesota State  3 –5  4 –7   South Dakota  2 –6  3 –8   North Dakota State  1 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll |
| 2002 Northeast-10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 C. W. Post $^  10 –1  11 –1   No. 24 Bentley  9 –1  10 –1   Southern Connecticut  7 –3  8 –3   Merrimack  6 –4  6 –4   Saint Anselm  5 –5  5 –5   American International  5 –5  5 –6   Bryant  5 –5  5 –6   Pace  3 –7  3 –7   UMass Lowell  3 –7  3 –8   Assumption  1 –9  2 –9   Stonehill  1 –9  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll | 2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Minnesota Duluth $^  9 –0  11 –1   Winona State  8 –1  8 –4   Concordia–St. Paul  7 –2  9 –2   Bemidji State  6 –3  6 –5   Minnesota State–Moorhead  4 –5  5 –5   Northern State  4 –5  4 –7   Southwest State (MN)  3 –6  4 –7   Wayne State (NE)  3 –6  3 –8   Minnesota–Crookston  1 –8  1 –10   Minnesota Morris  0 –9  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA Poll | 2002 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Bloomsburg x  5 –1  8 –2   East Stroudsburg x  5 –1  8 –2   West Chester  4 –2  5 –6   Millersville  3 –3  3 –7   Kutztown  2 –4  4 –7   Mansfield  2 –4  3 –7   Cheyney  0 –6  0 –11   West Division No. 6 IUP x^  6 –0  11 –2   Slippery Rock  4 –2  7 –4   Shippensburg  4 –2  6 –5   Clarion  3 –3  7 –4   Edinboro  2 –4  5 –6   California (PA)  1 –5  6 –5   Lock Haven  1 –5  4 –7   x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll |
| 2002 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Nebraska–Kearney +^  7 –1  9 –2   Chadron State +  7 –1  8 –2   Mesa State  5 –3  5 –6   Colorado Mines  4 –4  7 –4   Adams State  4 –4  5 –6   Western State (CO)  4 –4  5 –6   Fort Hays State  3 –5  5 –6   Fort Lewis  2 –6  3 –8   New Mexico Highlands  0 –8  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant | 2002 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Carson–Newman $^  7 –0  12 –1   No. 18 Catawba ^  6 –1  8 –3   Presbyterian  5 –2  8 –3   Mars Hill  4 –3  7 –4   Tusculum  3 –4  7 –4   Wingate  2 –5  5 –6   Lenoir–Rhyne  1 –6  3 –7   Newberry  0 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll | 2002 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Tuskegee $  7 –1  10 –1   Albany State  6 –2  7 –4   Fort Valley State  6 –2  7 –4   Miles  5 –3  6 –5   Morehouse  4 –4  6 –5   Lane  3 –5  4 –7   Kentucky State  2 –6  3 –8   Benedict  2 –6  2 –9   Clark Atlanta  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference championRankings from AFCA Poll |
| 2002 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  West Virginia Wesleyan $  6 –1  7 –4   Shepherd  5 –2  7 –3   West Liberty State  5 –2  6 –5   West Virginia Tech  5 –2  6 –5   Glenville State  3 –4  4 –7   Fairmont State  2 –5  3 –7   Concord  2 –5  3 –8   West Virginia State  0 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion | 2002 NCAA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 UC Davis ^   –  9 –3   New Haven   –  4 –6   Quincy   –  4 –7   Saint Joseph's (IN)   –  4 –7   Western New Mexico   –  2 –7   ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AFCA poll |

## Conference summaries

* Conference Champions
* Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Fayetteville State
* Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley State
* Great Northwest Athletic Conference – Central Washington
* Gulf South Conference – Valdosta State
* Lone Star Conference – Texas A&M–Kingsville
* Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Northwest Missouri State
* North Central Conference – Northern Colorado
* Northeast-10 Conference – C.W. Post
* Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth
* Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg (East), Indiana (PA) (West)
* Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Chadron State and Nebraska–Kearney
* South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman
* Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Tuskegee
* West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – West Virginia Wesleyan

## Postseason

The 2002 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 29th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama for the 15th time.

### Playoff bracket

| First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL |
| Valdosta State | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Catawba | 7 | | | | | | | |
| Catawba | 7 | Valdosta State | 31 | | | | | |
| | | Carson–Newman | 28 | | | | | |
| Carson–Newman | 40 | Carson–Newman | 28 | | | | | |
| Fayetteville State | 27 | | | | | | | |
| Fayetteville State | 27 | | | Valdosta State | 21 | | | |
| | | | | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 12 | | | |
| UC Davis | 24 | | | | | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 12 | | | |
| Central Washington | 6 | | | | | | | |
| Central Washington | 6 | UC Davis | 20 | | | | | |
| | | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 27* | | | | | |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 58 | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 27* | | | | | |
| Nebraska–Kearney | 40 | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska–Kearney | 40 | | | | | | Valdosta State | 24 |
| | | | | | | | Grand Valley State | 31 |
| Grand Valley State | 62 | | | | | | | | Grand Valley State | 31 |
| C.W. Post | 13 | | | | | | | |
| C.W. Post | 13 | Grand Valley State | 62 | | | | | |
| | | IUP | 21 | | | | | |
| IUP | 27 | IUP | 21 | | | | | |
| Saginaw Valley State | 23 | | | | | | | |
| Saginaw Valley State | 23 | | | Grand Valley State | 44 | | | |
| | | | | Northern Colorado | 7 | | | |
| NW Missouri State | 45 | | | | | Northern Colorado | 7 | | | |
| Minnesota–Duluth | 41 | | | | | | | |
| Minnesota–Duluth | 41 | Northwest Missouri State | 12 | | | | | |
| | | Northern Colorado | 23 | | | | | |
| Northern Colorado | 49 | Northern Colorado | 23 | | | | | |
| Central Missouri State | 28 | | | | | | | |