1987 NCAA Division III football season

The 1987 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 1987, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1987 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama.

1987 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1987
Playoffs	November – December 1987
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Wagner
NCAA Division III football seasons

Wagner won their first Division III championship by defeating Dayton in the championship game, 19−3. Due to NCAA rule changes in 1991, both schools are now members Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

Conference changes and new programs

School	1986 Conference	1987 Conference
Bishop	D-III Independent	Dropped program
Drake	Revived program	D-III Independent
St. John Fisher	New program	D-III Independent

Conference standings

1987 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Augustana (IL) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Millikin 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Carroll (WI) 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Elmhurst 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wheaton (IL) 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Carthage 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 North Park 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Franklin & Marshall $ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 Dickinson 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Muhlenberg 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Gettysburg 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Johns Hopkins 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Ursinus 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Swarthmore 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Western Maryland 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1987 College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Rhodes $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 2 Rose–Hulman 3 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Sewanee 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Centre 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Earlham 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1987 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ithaca $ 3 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Alfred 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 St. Lawrence 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 RPI 1 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Hobart 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1987 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) $^ 7 – 1 – 0 11 – 2 – 0 Luther 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Buena Vista 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wartburg 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Dubuque 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 William Penn 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Loras 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Simpson (IA) 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 Liberty Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Fordham $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Merchant Marine 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Iona 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 St. John's 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 C. W. Post 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Pace 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1987 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hope $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Adrian 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Albion 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Alma 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Olivet 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Kalamazoo 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1987 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Susquehanna + 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Widener + 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Lycoming 6 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Juniata 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Moravian 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wilkes 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Delaware Valley 3 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Albright 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Lebanon Valley 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Upsala 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1987 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Division St. Norbert xy$ 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Lawrence 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Ripon 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Lake Forest 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Beloit 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 South Division Monmouth (IL) xy 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Coe 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Knox 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Cornell (IA) 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Grinnell 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Illinois College 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Championship: St. Norbert 20, Monmouth (IL) 15 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1987 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Gustavus Adolphus $^ 9 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Saint John's (MN) ^ 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Carleton 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Hamline 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Macalester 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 St. Olaf 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Augsburg 0 – 8 – 1 0 – 9 – 1 Bethel (MN) 0 – 8 – 1 0 – 9 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Division Plymouth State xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Curry 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Nichols 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Lowell 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Western New England 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Maine Maritime 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 South Division Worcester State xy 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Westfield State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Massachusetts Maritime 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Bridgewater State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Framingham State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Fitchburg State 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 Championship: Plymouth State 40, Worcester State 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1987 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Kean $ 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Montclair State 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Glassboro State 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 William Paterson 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Trenton State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Jersey City State 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Ramapo 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1987 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Allegheny $^ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 Ohio Wesleyan 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wooster 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Case Western Reserve 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Denison 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Oberlin 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Kenyon 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Capital $^ 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 2 Baldwin–Wallace 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Mount Union 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Muskingum 5 – 2 – 1 6 – 4 – 0 Wittenberg 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Ohio Northern 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Marietta 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Heidelberg 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Otterbein 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hampden–Sydney $ 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Emory & Henry ^ 4 – 1 – 0 11 – 3 – 0 Randolph–Macon 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Bridgewater 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Maryville (TN) 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Hampden–Sydney won the conference title by virtue of a head-to-head win over Emory & Henry.
1987 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Washington & Jefferson $^ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Hiram ^ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Carnegie Mellon 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 1 John Carroll 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Grove City 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Thiel 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Bethany (WV) 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1987 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Occidental + 4 – 0 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Claremont-Mudd + 4 – 0 – 1 5 – 4 – 0 La Verne 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 6 – 0 Whittier 1 – 3 – 1 4 – 6 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 0 Redlands 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Each team played one other conference member twice. A head-to-head sweep of the two games counted as one win for the winner and one loss for the loser in the conference standings. A split of the two games counted as a tie for each team.	1987 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wisconsin–Whitewater + 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 1 No. 25 Wisconsin–River Falls + 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 No. 24 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–La Crosse 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Platteville 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 No. 4 Wisconsin–Stevens Point ^ 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 15 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Wisconsin–Stevens Point finished the season with an overall record of 12–2–1 and a conference mark of 7–1, winning the WSUC title and advancing to the NAIA Division II Football National Championship playoffs, where they tied Pacific Lutheran in the title game, sharing the NAIA Division II title. In May 1988, Stevens Point forfeited its 12 wins, the one tie, and the conference and NAIA titles because of the use of two ineligible players. Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1987 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wagner ^   –   13 – 1 – 0 Rochester (NY) ^   –   9 – 2 – 0 Hofstra ^   –   8 – 2 – 0 UC Santa Barbara   –   8 – 2 – 0 Wabash   –   8 – 2 – 0 Dayton ^   –   11 – 3 – 0 Ferrum ^   –   8 – 2 – 1 Salisbury State   –   7 – 2 – 0 Georgetown   –   6 – 2 – 1 DePauw   –   7 – 3 – 0 Menlo ^   –   7 – 3 – 0 Millsaps   –   7 – 3 – 0 Canisius   –   6 – 3 – 1 San Diego   –   6 – 3 – 1 Mercyhurst   –   6 – 4 – 0 Cortland   –   5 – 4 – 0 Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham   –   5 – 4 – 0 Albany   –   5 – 5 – 0 Drake   –   5 – 5 – 0 Norwich   –   4 – 4 – 1 Union (NY)   –   5 – 5 – 0 Aurora   –   4 – 5 – 0 Stony Brook   –   4 – 5 – 0 Brockport   –   3 – 6 – 0 Buffalo   –   3 – 7 – 0 Catholic University   –   3 – 7 – 0 Saint Francis (PA)   –   2 – 6 – 0 Brooklyn   –   2 – 7 – 0 Colorado College   –   2 – 7 – 0 Duquesne   –   2 – 7 – 0 Frostburg State   –   2 – 8 – 0 Saint Peter's   –   2 – 8 – 0 Marist   –   1 – 7 – 0 Quincy   –   1 – 7 – 0 Western Connecticut State   –   1 – 8 – 1 Buffalo State   –   1 – 9 – 0 Wesley   –   0 – 9 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Conference champions

Conference champions

Centennial Conference – Franklin & Marshall College Athletic Conference – Rhodes College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Independent College Athletic Conference‡ – Ithaca Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Susquehanna and Widener Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Gustavus Adolphus New England Football Conference – Plymouth State New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Kean North Coast Athletic Conference – Allegheny Ohio Athletic Conference – Capital Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Hampden–Sydney Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Claremont–Mudd–Scripps and Occidental Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Tarleton State Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Mount Senario Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–River Falls and Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 1987 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 15th 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 Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the 13th time and for the third consecutive year. Like the previous two tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, Alabama
	Wagner		38
	Rochester (NY)		14
						Wagner		21
						Fordham		0
	Fordham		41
	Hofstra		6
											Wagner		20
											Emory & Henry		13
	Washington & Jefferson		23*
	Allegheny		17
						Washington & Jefferson		16
						Emory & Henry		23
	Emory and Henry		49
	Ferrum		7
																Wagner		19
																Dayton		3
	Dayton		52
	Capital		28
						Dayton		38
						Augustana (IL)		36
	Augustana (IL)		53
	Hiram		0
											Dayton		34
											Central (IA)		0
	Saint John's (MN)		7
	Gustavus Adolphus		3
						Saint John's (MN)		3
						Central (IA)		13
	Central (IA)		17
	Menlo		0

See also

• 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1987 NCAA Division II football season