# 1979 NAIA Division II football season

The 1979 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1979 college football season in the United States and the 24th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 10th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1979 and culminated in the 1979 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Donnell Stadium in Findlay, Ohio.
The Findlay Oilers defeated the Northwestern Red Raiders in the championship game, 51–6, to win their first NAIA national title.

## Conference standings

1979 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings :
| 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 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Montana Tech $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –1 Carroll (MT) 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 Rocky Mountain 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Western Montana 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1979 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 William Jewell + 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 Baker + 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 No. 12 Missouri Valley 4 –2 –07 –2 –1 Graceland 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Ottawa 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Central Methodist 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Tarkio 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1979 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Findlay +^ 7 –1 –010 –1 –1 No. 10 Hanover + 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 No. 16 Anderson (IN) 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wilmington (OH) 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Manchester (IN) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Bluffton 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Defiance 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Taylor 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Earlham 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Milton + 3 –1 –06 –2 –1 Lakeland + 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Northeastern Illinois 2 –2 –04 –5 –0 Eureka 1 –3 –02 –6 –0 Concordia (IL) 1 –3 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championNortheastern Illinois forfeited a win over Lakeland. | 1979 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Bethany (KS) $^ 8 –0 –011 –1 –0 Tabor 7 –1 –07 –3 –0 Friends 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Southwestern (KS) 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 McPherson 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Bethel (KS) 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Sterling 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 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 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–5 Midland $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Concordia (NE) 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Hastings 2½ –2½ –06 –4 –0 Doane 1½ –2½ –15 –4 –1 Nebraska Wesleyan 1 –3 –13 –5 –1 Dana 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Hastings and Doane played twice; each game counted as ½ of a game in the conference standings.Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Jamestown $^ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 19 Dickinson State 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Valley City State 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Wahpeton Science 3 –3 –04 –3 –1 Minot State 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Mayville State 1 –5 –01 –7 –1 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1979 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Pacific Lutheran $^ 5 –0 –09 –2 –0 No. 14 Linfield 4 –1 –06 –3 –1 Willamette 3 –2 –06 –3 –1 Whitworth 2 –3 –04 –4 –1 Lewis & Clark 1 –4 –05 –4 –0 Pacific (OR) 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Black Hills State $ 5 –0 –16 –3 –1 Dakota State 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 South Dakota Tech 4 –1 –15 –4 –1 Sioux Falls 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 South Dakota–Springfield 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Huron 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion | 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 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–5 Austin $^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 McMurry 6 –2 –08 –3 –0 Tarleton State 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Sul Ross 2 –6 –04 –6 –0 Trinity (TX) 1 –7 –04 –7 –0 Lubbock Christian 0 –0 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 Tri-State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Northwestern (IA) $^ 2 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 20 Westmar 2 –1 –07 –3 –0 Yankton 0 –3 –05 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1979 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Cal Lutheran ^   –  7 –2 –1 Waynesburg   –  6 –3 –0 No. 18 Peru State   –  6 –4 –0 Westminster (PA)   –  4 –5 –0 Chadron State   –  4 –5 –1 Azusa Pacific   –  3 –4 –1 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  4 –6 –0 Texas Lutheran   –  4 –6 –0 Geneva   –  3 –6 –0 Simon Fraser   –  3 –6 –0 Benedictine (KS)   –  2 –8 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  2 –8 –0 ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Frontier | Montana Tech | 4–0 |
| Heart of America | William Jewell Baker (KS) | 5–1 |
| Hoosier-Buckeye | Findlay Hanover | 7–1 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 8–0 |
| Minnesota | Concordia–Moorhead Saint John's (MN) St. Olaf St. Thomas (MN) | 6–2 |
| Nebraska | Midland Lutheran | 5–0 |
| North Dakota | Jamestown | 4–0 |
| South Dakota | Black Hills State | 5–0–1 |
| Texas | Austin College | 7–1 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Findlay, OH | Championship Findlay, OH |
| Midland Lutheran | 27 | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)‡ | 40 | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)‡ | 40 | Northwestern (IA)* | 49 | | |
| | | Bethany (KS) | 21 | | |
| Austin | 24 | Bethany (KS) | 21 | | |
| Bethany (KS)* | 35 | | | | |
| Bethany (KS)* | 35 | | | Northwestern (IA) | 6 |
| | | | | Findlay* | 51 |
| Pacific Lutheran | 34 | | | | | Findlay* | 51 |
| Cal Lutheran* | 14 | | | | |
| Cal Lutheran* | 14 | Pacific Lutheran | 0 | | |
| | | Findlay* | 9 | | |
| Jamestown | 15 | Findlay* | 9 | | |
| Findlay* | 41 | | | | |
* ‡ Game played at Vermillion, South Dakota