2003 NCAA Division III football season

The 2003 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 2003, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2003 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Saint John's (MN) Johnnies won second Division III championship by defeating the three-time defending national champion Mount Union Purple Raiders, 24−6.

2003 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2003
Playoffs	November – December 2003
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Saint John's (MN) (2)
Gagliardi Trophy	Blake Elliott (WR, P, KR), Saint John's (MN)
← 2002 · NCAA Division III football seasons · 2004 →

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Blake Elliott, wide receiver, punter, and kick returner from Saint John's (MN).^[1]

Conference changes and new programs

School	2002 conference	2003 conference
New Jersey City Gothic Knights	NJAC	Dropped program
Upper Iowa Peacocks	Iowa	Northern Sun (Division II)

Conference standings

2003 American Southwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Mary Hardin–Baylor +   8 – 1     9 – 1   Hardin–Simmons +   8 – 1     8 – 2   No. 14 East Texas Baptist +^   8 – 1     9 – 3   Howard Payne   6 – 3     6 – 4   McMurry   4 – 5     4 – 6   Louisiana College   4 – 5     4 – 6   Austin   3 – 6     3 – 7   Mississippi College   2 – 7     3 – 7   Texas Lutheran   2 – 7     2 – 8   Sul Ross   0 – 9     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Frostburg State $   3 – 0     4 – 5   Salisbury   2 – 1     7 – 2   Wesley   1 – 2     6 – 4   Apprentice §   0 – 3     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion § – Not an NCAA member	2003 Centennial Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 25 Johns Hopkins +   5 – 1     10 – 1   Muhlenberg +   5 – 1     7 – 3   McDaniel   4 – 2     5 – 5   Franklin & Marshall   3 – 3     4 – 6   Gettysburg   2 – 4     5 – 5   Dickinson   2 – 4     4 – 6   Ursinus   0 – 6     3 – 7   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Wheaton (IL) $^   7 – 0     12 – 1   Augustana (IL)   6 – 1     7 – 3   Millikin   4 – 3     7 – 3   North Central (IL)   4 – 3     7 – 3   Elmhurst   3 – 4     6 – 4   Illinois Wesleyan   3 – 4     5 – 5   Carthage   1 – 6     3 – 7   North Park   0 – 7     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Ithaca $^   4 – 0     10 – 3   St. John Fisher   3 – 1     8 – 3   Alfred   2 – 2     5 – 5   Hartwick   1 – 3     2 – 7   Utica   0 – 4     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Freedom Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 Springfield (MA) $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   Norwich   4 – 2     6 – 5   Merchant Marine   3 – 3     6 – 4   Western Connecticut   3 – 3     6 – 4   Coast Guard   3 – 3     4 – 5   WPI   2 – 4     4 – 6   Plymouth State   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hanover $^   6 – 0     8 – 3   Anderson (IN)   5 – 1     7 – 3   Mount St. Joseph   4 – 2     6 – 4   Defiance   3 – 3     4 – 6   Franklin (IN)   2 – 4     2 – 8   Manchester   1 – 5     2 – 8   Bluffton   0 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Concordia (WI) $^   7 – 0     9 – 2   Lakeland   6 – 1     8 – 2   Aurora   5 – 2     5 – 5   MacMurray   3 – 4     5 – 5   Greenville   2 – 5     3 – 7   Benedictine (IL)   2 – 5     2 – 8   Concordia (IL)   2 – 5     2 – 8   Eureka   1 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 Iowa Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Wartburg $^   8 – 0     11 – 1   No. 23 Simpson   7 – 1     9 – 2   Loras   5 – 3     7 – 3   Buena Vista   4 – 4     6 – 4   Luther   4 – 4     6 – 4   Central (IA)   3 – 5     5 – 5   Coe   3 – 5     5 – 5   Cornell (IA)   2 – 6     4 – 6   Dubuque   1 – 7     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hope $^   5 – 1     7 – 4   Adrian   4 – 2     8 – 2   Albion   4 – 2     6 – 4   Alma   3 – 3     6 – 4   Wisconsin Lutheran   3 – 3     5 – 5   Kalamazoo   2 – 4     6 – 4   Olivet   0 – 6     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Lycoming $^   8 – 1     9 – 2   Delaware Valley   7 – 2     9 – 2   Wilkes   7 – 2     8 – 3   Albright   6 – 3     7 – 3   King's (PA)   6 – 3     7 – 4   Widener   4 – 5     5 – 5   Susquehanna   4 – 5     4 – 6   Juniata   3 – 6     3 – 7   Moravian   3 – 6     3 – 7   Lebanon Valley   1 – 8     1 – 9   Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   0 – 9     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Midwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 St. Norbert $^   9 – 0     11 – 1   Monmouth (IL)   8 – 1     8 – 2   Lake Forest   6 – 3     7 – 3   Ripon   5 – 4     6 – 4   Beloit   3 – 6     4 – 6   Illinois College   3 – 6     4 – 6   Knox   3 – 6     4 – 6   Carroll (WI)   3 – 6     3 – 7   Lawrence   3 – 6     3 – 7   Grinnell   2 – 7     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 14 – 0 – 0 No. 12 Bethel (MN) ^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Augsburg 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 St. Olaf 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Carleton 1 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Hamline 0 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 New England Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Westfield State xy   6 – 0     7 – 3   Worcester State   5 – 1     8 – 3   Bridgewater State   4 – 2     6 – 3   Fitchburg State   3 – 3     5 – 4   Massachusetts Maritime   2 – 4     2 – 7   Maine Maritime   1 – 5     1 – 8   Framingham State   0 – 6     0 – 9   Boyd Division Curry xy$^   6 – 0     11 – 1   UMass Dartmouth   4 – 2     9 – 2   Nichols   4 – 2     6 – 4   Endicott   3 – 3     5 – 4   Salve Regina   2 – 4     2 – 8   MIT   1 – 5     3 – 6   Western New England   1 – 5     2 – 7   Championship: Curry 36, Westfield State 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (CT) $   8 – 0     8 – 0   Williams   6 – 2     6 – 2   Colby   5 – 3     5 – 3   Tufts   5 – 3     5 – 3   Amherst   4 – 4     4 – 4   Middlebury   4 – 4     4 – 4   Wesleyan   4 – 4     4 – 4   Bates   2 – 6     2 – 6   Hamilton   2 – 6     2 – 6   Bowdoin   0 – 8     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion
2003 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 17 Montclair State $^   5 – 0     9 – 2   TCNJ   4 – 1     6 – 4   Rowan   3 – 2     7 – 3   Cortland   2 – 3     5 – 5   Kean   1 – 4     1 – 9   William Paterson   0 – 5     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Allegheny $^   7 – 0     7 – 4   Wittenberg   4 – 2     8 – 2   Wabash   4 – 2     7 – 3   Oberlin   4 – 2     5 – 5   Wooster   4 – 3     7 – 3   Ohio Wesleyan   2 – 4     4 – 6   Denison   2 – 4     3 – 7   Earlham   1 – 5     2 – 8   Hiram   0 – 6     1 – 9   Kenyon   0 – 0     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 Northwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Linfield $^   5 – 0     11 – 1   Willamette   4 – 1     7 – 3   Pacific Lutheran   3 – 2     6 – 3   Whitworth   2 – 3     4 – 6   Lewis & Clark   1 – 4     3 – 6   Puget Sound   0 – 5     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Mount Union $^   9 – 0     13 – 1   No. 9 Baldwin–Wallace ^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Capital   7 – 2     8 – 2   John Carroll   6 – 3     7 – 3   Muskingum   4 – 5     5 – 5   Ohio Northern   4 – 5     4 – 6   Otterbein   3 – 6     3 – 7   Wilmington (OH)   2 – 7     2 – 8   Marietta   1 – 8     2 – 8   Heidelberg   1 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Bridgewater $^   6 – 0     12 – 2   No. 21 Hampden–Sydney   5 – 1     9 – 1   Emory & Henry   3 – 3     5 – 5   Randolph–Macon   3 – 3     4 – 6   Catholic University   2 – 4     3 – 7   Washington and Lee   1 – 5     3 – 7   Guilford   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Waynesburg $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Washington & Jefferson   4 – 1     8 – 2   Westminster (PA)   3 – 2     5 – 5   Grove City   2 – 3     5 – 5   Thiel   1 – 4     3 – 7   Bethany (WV)   0 – 5     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Redlands $^   5 – 1     6 – 4   Occidental   4 – 2     7 – 2   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps   4 – 2     6 – 3   Cal Lutheran   4 – 2     5 – 4   Pomona-Pitzer   3 – 3     5 – 4   Whittier   1 – 5     1 – 8   La Verne   0 – 6     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2003 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Centre +   5 – 1     8 – 2   No. 24 Trinity (TX) +^   5 – 1     8 – 3   Rhodes   4 – 2     7 – 3   DePauw   3 – 3     5 – 5   Rose–Hulman   3 – 3     5 – 5   Millsaps   1 – 5     1 – 9   Sewanee   0 – 6     3 – 7   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 University Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington University $   3 – 0     6 – 4   Carnegie Mellon   2 – 1     6 – 4   Chicago   1 – 2     2 – 7   Case Western Reserve   0 – 3     5 – 4   $ – Conference champion
2003 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Martin Luther x   5 – 2     7 – 2   Northwestern (MN) x   5 – 2     6 – 4   Minnesota Morris   4 – 2     5 – 6   Crown   3 – 4     4 – 7   Trinity Bible   0 – 7     0 – 9   South Westminster (MO) x$   7 – 0     7 – 2   Rockford   5 – 1     7 – 3   Principia   2 – 5     3 – 6   Maranatha Baptist   2 – 5     2 – 7   Blackburn   1 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions	2003 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 RPI +^   3 – 1     11 – 2   Hobart +   3 – 1     6 – 4   Rochester (NY)   2 – 2     5 – 5   Union (NY)   2 – 2     5 – 5   St. Lawrence   0 – 4     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 USA South Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Shenandoah +   5 – 1     8 – 2   No. 19 Christopher Newport +^   5 – 1     8 – 3   Ferrum   3 – 2     6 – 4   Averett   3 – 3     5 – 4   Methodist   3 – 3     4 – 5   Greensboro   1 – 5     3 – 7   Chowan   0 – 5     2 – 7   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2003 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Wisconsin–La Crosse $^   6 – 1     10 – 2   No. 18 Wisconsin–Stevens Point   5 – 2     8 – 2   Wisconsin–Whitewater   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wisconsin–Stout   4 – 3     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   4 – 3     5 – 5   Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 5     2 – 7   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   1 – 6     4 – 6   Wisconsin–Platteville   1 – 6     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2003 NCAA Division III independents football records v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Brockport ^   –     9 – 2   Menlo   –     7 – 3   Thomas More   –     6 – 4   Mount Ida   –     4 – 6   Chapman   –     3 – 7   Colorado College   –     2 – 7   Buffalo State   –     2 – 8   Maryville (TN)   –     2 – 8   Macalester   –     1 – 8   Huntingdon   –     0 – 7   Husson   –     0 – 7   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – East Texas Baptist, Hardin–Simmons, and Mary Hardin–Baylor Atlantic Central Football Conference – Frostburg State Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Wheaton (IL) Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca Freedom Football Conference‡ – Springfield Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hanover Illini-Badger Football Conference – Concordia (WI) Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wartburg Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming Midwest Conference – St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Westfield State (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division) Championship Game: Curry 36, Westfield State 0 New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT) New Jersey Athletic Conference – Montclair State North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater Presidents' Athletic Conference – Waynesburg Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Centre and Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Westminster (MO) Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference – Hobart and RPI USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport and Shenandoah Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse

Postseason

The 2003 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 31st 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 11th time. This was the fifth bracket to feature 28 teams since last expanding in 1999.^[2]

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Second Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
						Mount Union		39
	UW–La Crosse		52			UW–La Crosse		14
	Concordia Wisconsin		13								Mount Union		56
	Wheaton (IL)		55								Wheaton (IL)		10
	Hope		45			Wheaton (IL)		16
	Baldwin Wallace		54			Baldwin Wallace		12
	Hanover		32													Mount Union		66
																Bridgewater (VA)		0
						Lycoming		16*
	East Texas Baptist		42			East Texas Baptist		15
	Trinity (TX)		41								Lycoming		9
	Bridgewater (VA)		28								Bridgewater (VA)		13
	Waynesburg		24			Bridgewater (VA)		26
	Christopher Newport		24			Christopher Newport		3
	Muhlenberg		20																		Mount Union		6
																					Saint John's (MN)		24
						Springfield		34
	RPI		34			RPI		40
	Curry		20								RPI		21
	Ithaca		14								Ithaca		16
	Brockport		9			Ithaca		33
	Montclair State		20			Montclair State		13
	Allegheny		19													RPI		10
																Saint John's (MN)		38
						Saint John's (MN)		38
	St. Norbert		26**			St. Norbert		13
	Simpson		20								Saint John's (MN)		31
	Wartburg		21								Linfield		25
	Bethel (MN)		7			Wartburg		20
	Linfield		31			Linfield		23
	Redlands		23

* Overtime

Final D3football.com Poll

Team	Final Record	Points
1. St. John's (25)	14–0	625
2. Mount Union	13–1	595
3. Linfield	11–1	575
4. Wartburg	11–1	489
5. RPI	11–2	483
6. Wheaton	12–1	475
7. Bridgewater	12–2	453
8. UW-La Crosse	10–2	441
9. Baldwin-Wallace	10–2	399
10. Ithaca	10–3	355
11. Lycoming	9–2	353
12. Bethel	9–2	342
13. Springfield	10–1	336
14. East Texas Baptist	9–3	259
15. Mary Hardin-Baylor	9–1	234
16. St. Norbert	11–1	218
17. Montclair State	9–2	189
18. UW-Stevens Point	8–2	176
19. Christopher Newport	8–3	175
20. Brockport State	9–2	163
21. Hampden-Sydney	9–1	140
22. Waynesburg	9–2	103
23. Simpson	9–2	81
24. Trinty(Tx.)	8–3	66
25. Johns Hopkins	10–1	60

Others receiving votes: 26. Capital 50, 27. Hardin-SImmons 47, 28. Allegheny 42, 29. Trinity(Conn.) 38, 30. Redlands 22, 31. Hope 21, 32. UW-Whitewater 19, 32. Hanover 19, 34. Curry 18, 35. Concordia(Wis.) 16, 36. Washington and Jefferson 12, 37. Muhlenberg 9, 38. Rowan 7, 38. Augustana 7, 40. Delaware Valley 6, 41. Menlo 3, 42. Willamette 2, 43. New Jersey 1, 43. Shenandoah 1. ^[3]

Awards

Gagliardi Trophy: Blake Elliott

AFCA Coach of the Year: John Gagliardi

AFCA Regional Coach of the Year: Region 1: Mike DeLong, Springfield College Region 2: Jeff Hand, Waynesburg College Region 3: Ralph Harris, East Texas Baptist University Region 4: Mike Swider, Wheaton College Region 5: John Gagliardi, St. John’s University (Minn.)^[4]

See also

• 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 2003 NCAA Division II football season

References

1. "All-Time Division III Football Championship Records" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
2. "2003 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 15. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
3. "D3football.com Top 25, 2003 final". D3football. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
4. . April 12, 2004. Archived from the original on April 12, 2004. Retrieved November 21, 2019.