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).

2009 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2009
Playoffs	November – December 2009
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Wisconsin–Whitewater (2)
Gagliardi Trophy	Blaine Westemeyer (OT), Augustana (IL)
NCAA Division III football seasons

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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf. Overall 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 member Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Centennial Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2009 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Norwich y$   6 – 0     8 – 3   Gallaudet   4 – 2     6 – 4   Mount Ida y   4 – 2     4 – 7   Maritime   3 – 3     6 – 4   Husson   3 – 3     4 – 5   Castleton   1 – 5     3 – 6   Becker   0 – 6     0 – 10   Anna Maria*   0 – 0     0 – 9   Championship: Norwich 49, Mount Ida 14 $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant * – Anna Maria was accepted as a member of ECFC, but was not eligible for conference standings until 2010.	2009 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Liberty League football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Midwest Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 New England Football Conference standings Conf. Overall 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 champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2009 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Northern Athletics Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2009 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 Conf. Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2009 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Huntingdon ^   –     8 – 3   LaGrange   –     5 – 5   Chapman   –     4 – 5   Macalester   –     2 – 8   ^ – 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					Second Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
	Mount Union		55
	Washington & Jefferson		0			Mount Union		62
	Montclair State		38			Montclair State		14
	Maine Maritime		22								Mount Union		55
	Albright		35								Albright		3
	Alfred		25			Albright		27
	Delaware Valley		66			Delaware Valley		3
	Susquehanna		7													Mount Union		24
	Wesley		55													Wesley		7
	North Carolina Wesleyan		23			Wesley		43
	Mississippi College		56			Mississippi College		9
	Huntingdon		35								Wesley		12
	Johns Hopkins		23								Johns Hopkins		0
	Hampden–Sydney		7			Johns Hopkins		31
	Thomas More		49			Thomas More		29
	DePauw		39																		Mount Union		28
	Wisconsin–Whitewater		70																		Wisconsin–Whitewater		38
	Lakeland		7			Wisconsin–Whitewater		45
	Illinois Wesleyan		41			Illinois Wesleyan		7
	Wabash		35								Wisconsin–Whitewater		31
	Trine		51								Wittenberg		13
	Case Western		38			Trine		17
	Wittenberg		42			Wittenberg		34
	Mount St. Joseph		14													Wisconsin–Whitewater		27
	Coe		34													Linfield		17
	Saint John's (MN)		27			Coe		7
	St. Thomas (MN)		43			St. Thomas (MN)		34
	Monmouth (IL)		21								St. Thomas (MN)		20
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		42								Linfield		31
	Central (IA)		40			Mary Hardin–Baylor		21
	Linfield		38			Linfield		53
	Cal Lutheran		17

* Overtime

See also

• 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2009 NCAA Division II football season