| 2002 NCAA Division II football season | |
|---|---|
| Regular season | September 7 – November 16, 2002 |
| Playoffs | November 23 – December 14, 2002[1] |
| National Championship | Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL |
| Champion | Grand Valley State |
| Harlon Hill Trophy | Curt Anes,Grand Valley State |
The2002 NCAA Division II football season, part ofcollege football in the United States organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association at theDivision II level, began on September 7, 2002, and concluded with theNCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 2002, atBraly Municipal Stadium inFlorence, Alabama, hosted by theUniversity of North Alabama. TheGrand Valley State Lakers defeated theValdosta State Blazers, 31–24, to win their first Division II national title.[2]
TheHarlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Curt Anes, quarterback fromGrand Valley State.
| School | 2001 Conference | 2002 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Gardner-Webb | D-II Independent | Big South (I-AA) |
| Saint Augustine's | Program Revived | CIAA (D-II) |
| Savannah State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Conference Champions |
|---|
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association –Fayetteville State |
| 2002 NCAA DivisionII Football Championship | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Finals Site | |
| Champion |
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| Runner-up |
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| Semifinalists | |
| Winning coach |
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The2002NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 29th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men'sNCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held atBraly Municipal Stadium inFlorence, Alabama for the 15th time.
| First round Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL | ||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Catawba | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 31 | ||||||||||||||
| Carson–Newman | 28 | ||||||||||||||
| Carson–Newman | 40 | ||||||||||||||
| Fayetteville State | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 21 | ||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| UC Davis | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Central Washington | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| UC Davis | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 27* | ||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 58 | ||||||||||||||
| Nebraska–Kearney | 40 | ||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 31 | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| C.W. Post | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| IUP | 21 | ||||||||||||||
| IUP | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| Saginaw Valley State | 23 | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 44 | ||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| NW Missouri State | 45 | ||||||||||||||
| Minnesota–Duluth | 41 | ||||||||||||||
| Northwest Missouri State | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 23 | ||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 49 | ||||||||||||||
| Central Missouri State | 28 | ||||||||||||||