1979 NCAA Division III football season
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football season
| type = NCAA Division III
| year = 1979
| image =
| image_caption =
| regular_season = August – November 1979
| playoffs = November – December 1979
| championship = Garrett-Harrison Stadium
Phenix City, AL
| champion = Ithaca
}}
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).{{cite web|title=All-Time Division III Football Championship Records |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=November 1, 2014|pages=4–15}}
Conference changes and new programs
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| School | 1978 conference | 1979 conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | D-III Independent | Middle Atlantic |
| style="text-align:center;" | New program | D-III Independent |
| style="text-align:center;"
| Duquesne | Revived program | D-III Independent |
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 College Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Iowa Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Midwest Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 New England Football Conference standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1979 NCAA Division III independents football records}} |
Conference champions
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference champions |
|---|
*College Athletic Conference – Southwestern at Memphis, Rose–Hulman, and Sewanee
|
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.{{cite web|title=1979 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=November 1, 2014|pages=14}}
=Playoff bracket=
{{8TeamBracket
| RD1=Quarterfinals
Campus Sites
| RD2=Semifinals
Campus Sites
| RD3=National Championship Game
Garrett-Harrison Stadium
Phenix City, AL
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Wittenberg Tigers|title=Wittenberg}}
| RD1-score1= 21
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Millersville Marauders|title=Millersville}}
| RD1-score2= 14
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Widener Pride|title=Widener}}
| RD1-score3= 29
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets|title=Baldwin Wallace}}
| RD1-score4= 8
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-team5= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Carnegie Mellon Tartans|title=Carnegie Mellon}}
| RD1-score5= 31
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team6= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Minnesota–Morris Cougars|title=Minnesota–Morris}}
| RD1-score6= 25
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-team7= Ithaca
| RD1-score7= 27
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team8= {{cfb link|year=1979|team=Dubuque Spartans|title=Dubuque}}
| RD1-score8= 7
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1= Wittenberg
| RD2-score1= 17
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2= Widener
| RD2-score2= 14
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3= Carnegie Mellon
| RD2-score3= 6
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4= Ithaca
| RD2-score4= 15
| RD3-seed1=
| RD3-team1= Wittenberg
| RD3-score1= 10
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2= Ithaca
| RD3-score2= 14
}}