| 1996 NCAA Division III football season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | August – November 1996 | |||
| Playoffs | November – December 1996 | |||
| Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA | ||||
| Champion | Mount Union (2) | |||
| Gagliardi Trophy | Lon Erickson (QB),Illinois Wesleyan | |||
| ||||
The1996 NCAA Division III football season, part of thecollege football season organized by theNCAA at theDivision III level in the United States, began in August 1996, and concluded with theNCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1996 atSalem Football Stadium inSalem, Virginia. TheMount Union Purple Raiders won their second Division III championship by defeating theRowan Profs, 56−24. TheGagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded toLon Erickson, quarterback fromIllinois Wesleyan.[1]
| School | 1995 Conference | 1996 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Austin College | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Hardin–Simmons | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Howard Payne | TIAA | American Southwest |
| McMurry | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Mississippi College | Independent | American Southwest |
| Sul Ross | TIAA | American Southwest |
| Thomas More | AMC | Independent |
| Conference champions |
|---|
|
The1996 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 24th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men'sNCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held atSalem Football Stadium inSalem, Virginia for the second time. As of 2014, Salem has remained the yearly host of the Stagg Bowl. Like the previous eleven tournaments, this year's bracket featured sixteen teams.[2]
| Regionals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
| Mount Union | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Allegheny | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mount Union | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois Wesleyan | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois Wesleyan | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Albion | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mount Union | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin–River Falls | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Saint John's (MN) | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Saint John's (MN) | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simpson | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mount Union | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rowan | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lycoming | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ursinus | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lycoming | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Albright | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Albright | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Washington & Jefferson | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lycoming | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rowan | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rowan | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo State | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rowan | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TCNJ | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TCNJ | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coast Guard | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||