1979 NCAA Division III football season

The 1979 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1979, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1979 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Ithaca Bombers won their first Division III championship, defeating the Wittenberg Tigers by a final score of 14−10 in a re-match of the 1975 championship (won by Wittenberg).

1979 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1979
Playoffs	November – December 1979
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Ithaca
NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

School	1978 conference	1979 conference
FDU–Florham	D-III Independent	Middle Atlantic
Central Florida	New program	D-III Independent
Duquesne	Revived program	D-III Independent

Conference standings

1979 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Sewanee + 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Rose–Hulman + 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Southwestern (TN) + 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Centre 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Principia 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1979 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Millikin $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Elmhurst 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Augustana (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Park 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Carroll (WI) 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Carthage 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1979 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ithaca $^ 2 – 0 – 0 11 – 2 – 0 Alfred 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Hobart 2 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 St. Lawrence 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 RPI 0 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1979 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Dubuque $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Buena Vista 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Central (IA) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wartburg 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Luther 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Simpson (IA) 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 William Penn 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1979 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Pace $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 St. John's 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Iona 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Marist 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Saint Peter's 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Brooklyn 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1979 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hope $ 4 – 0 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Adrian 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Albion 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Kalamazoo 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Olivet 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Alma 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1979 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division Lycoming x 6 – 0 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Upsala 5 – 1 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Juniata 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Wilkes 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Delaware Valley 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Albright 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Susquehanna 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 Southern Division Widener x^ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Franklin & Marshall 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Western Maryland 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Muhlenberg 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Swarthmore 4 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Johns Hopkins 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Lebanon Valley 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Gettysburg 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Ursinus 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Dickinson 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Moravian 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1979 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Red Division Lawrence xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Cornell (IA) 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Knox 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Coe 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Ripon 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Blue Division Carleton xy 4 – 0 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Beloit 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Lake Forest 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Grinnell 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Chicago 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Championship: Lawrence 52, Carleton 7 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1979 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 13 Saint John's (MN) + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 St. Olaf + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 No. 15 Concordia–Moorhead + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 No. 17 St. Thomas (MN) + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Hamline 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Augsburg 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Bethel (MN) 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Macalester 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1979 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T New Haven $ 8 – 0 – 1 8 – 0 – 1 Framingham State 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Nichols 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Massachusetts Maritime 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Boston State 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Maine Maritime 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Plymouth State 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Bridgewater State 3 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Curry 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Western Connecticut State 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1979 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Montclair State $ 4 – 0 – 1 8 – 1 – 1 Trenton State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 William Paterson 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Glassboro State 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Kean 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Jersey City State 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1979 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Minnesota Duluth + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Moorhead State + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Minnesota Morris ^ 6 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 St. Cloud State 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Mankato State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Michigan Tech 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Bemidji State 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 1 Winona State 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 11 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1979 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Wittenberg xy$^ 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Otterbein 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wooster 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Capital 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Muskingum 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Marietta 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Red Division Baldwin–Wallace ^ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Denison xy 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Mount Union 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Ohio Northern 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Ohio Wesleyan 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Heidelberg 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Not competing for championship Oberlin   –   3 – 6 – 0 Kenyon   –   2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Wittenberg 56, Denison 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1979 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Randolph–Macon $ 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Emory & Henry 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Hampden–Sydney 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Bridgewater 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1979 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division Cheyney xy 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Millersville x^ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 East Stroudsburg 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Kutztown 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Bloomsburg 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 West Division Lock Haven xy$ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Clarion 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Indiana (PA) 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Slippery Rock 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Edinboro 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Shippensburg 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 California (PA) 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Championship: Lock Haven 48, Cheyney 14 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1979 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carnegie Mellon $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Bethany (WV) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Thiel 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Allegheny 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Hiram 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 John Carroll 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Case Western Reserve 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1979 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Claremont-Mudd $ 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Whittier 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Redlands 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 La Verne 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Occidental 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1979 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Wisconsin–River Falls $^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 No. 20 Wisconsin–La Crosse 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Platteville 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Wisconsin–Eau Claire forfeited two non-conference games. Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1979 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wabash   –   8 – 1 – 0 Norwich   –   8 – 2 – 0 Maryville (TN)   –   7 – 2 – 0 Dayton   –   8 – 2 – 1 UCF   –   6 – 2 – 0 Millsaps   –   7 – 3 – 0 Albany   –   6 – 3 – 0 Catholic University   –   6 – 3 – 0 Salisbury State   –   6 – 3 – 0 Georgetown   –   5 – 3 – 0 Hofstra   –   5 – 3 – 1 Frostburg State   –   6 – 4 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   6 – 4 – 0 Brockport   –   5 – 4 – 0 Canisius   –   5 – 4 – 0 Duquesne   –   5 – 4 – 0 Rochester (NY)   –   5 – 4 – 0 Wagner   –   5 – 5 – 0 San Diego   –   5 – 6 – 0 Buffalo   –   4 – 5 – 0 Colorado College   –   4 – 5 – 0 Union (NY)   –   3 – 5 – 0 Grove City   –   3 – 6 – 0 Saint Francis (PA)   –   2 – 6 – 0 DePauw   –   2 – 7 – 0 Cortland   –   1 – 9 – 0 St. Norbert   –   1 – 9 – 0 Fordham   –   0 – 9 – 0

Conference champions

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Southwestern at Memphis, Rose–Hulman, and Sewanee College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Millikin Independent College Athletic Conference – Ithaca Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Dubuque Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Lycoming (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lawrence Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead, Saint John's (MN), St. Olaf, and St. Thomas (MN) New England Football Conference – New Haven New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference – Denison (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Randolph-Macon Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference‡ – Lock Haven Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Claremont–Mudd–Scripps Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Austin Twin Rivers Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–River Falls

Postseason

The 1979 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the seventh annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the seventh consecutive year. Like the previous four championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Wittenberg		21
	Millersville		14
						Wittenberg		17
						Widener		14
	Widener		29
	Baldwin Wallace		8
											Wittenberg		10
											Ithaca		14
	Carnegie Mellon		31
	Minnesota–Morris		25
						Carnegie Mellon		6
						Ithaca		15
	Ithaca		27
	Dubuque		7

See also

• 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1979 NCAA Division II football season
• 1979 NAIA Division I football season
• 1979 NAIA Division II football season