1983 NAIA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1983
PostseasonNovember–December 1983
National ChampionshipLincoln Bowl
Tacoma, WA
ChampionsNorthwestern (IA)

The 1983 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1983 college football season in the United States and the 28th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 14th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1983 and culminated in the 1983 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at the Lincoln Bowl near the campus of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.[1]

The Northwestern Red Raiders defeated the Pacific Lutheran Lutes in the championship game, 25–21, to win their second NAIA national title (and first since 1973).

Conference standings

1983 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 11 Montana Tech $ 6 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Western Montana 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Carroll (MT) 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Rocky Mountain 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Baker $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 7 William Jewell ^ 5 – 1 – 1 9 – 2 – 1
No. 13 Missouri Valley 5 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1
Graceland 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
MidAmerica Nazarene 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Tarkio 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Central Methodist 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Culver–Stockton 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Findlay +^ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 3 Wilmington (OH) +^ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 18 Anderson (IN) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Earlham 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Hanover 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Defiance 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Manchester (IN) 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Bluffton 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Southwestern (KS) $ 8 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1
No. 10 Bethany (KS) 7 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 19 Sterling 6 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1
Bethel (KS) 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
St. Mary of the Plains 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Kansas Wesleyan 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Ottawa 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
McPherson 2 – 6 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
Tabor 2 – 6 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
Friends 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 St. Thomas (MN) $^ 9 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Saint John's (MN) 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Hamline 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Macalester 5 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Augsburg 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
St. Olaf 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Bethel (MN) 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Carleton 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Nebraska Wesleyan + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Doane + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Concordia (NE) 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Midland 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Hastings 1 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Dana 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 15 Minot State + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Valley City State + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
No. 20 Dickinson State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Jamestown 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Mayville State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Bismarck JC 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
North Dakota Science 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Pacific Lutheran $^ 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 14 Linfield 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1
Whitworth 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Lewis & Clark 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Pacific (OR) 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Willamette 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1983 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Black Hills State $ 5 – 0 – 2 5 – 2 – 2
Dakota State 5 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
South Dakota Tech 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Yankton 4 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 2
Sioux Falls 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Huron 1 – 4 – 2 1 – 7 – 2
Dakota Wesleyan 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
South Dakota–Springfield 0 – 6 – 1 1 – 8 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1983 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
McMurry + 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Sul Ross + 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Austin 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Tarleton State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1983 NAIA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Northwestern (IA) ^   –   14 – 0 – 0
No. 5 Westminster (PA) ^   –   9 – 2 – 0
No. 12 Loras   –   8 – 2 – 1
No. 16 Iowa Wesleyan   –   7 – 2 – 1
Texas Lutheran   –   7 – 3 – 0
Azusa Pacific   –   6 – 3 – 0
Waynesburg   –   6 – 3 – 1
Benedictine (KS)   –   6 – 4 – 0
Geneva   –   5 – 4 – 0
Peru State   –   4 – 5 – 0
Cal Lutheran   –   4 – 6 – 0
Chadron State   –   4 – 6 – 0
Oklahoma Panhandle State   –   3 – 7 – 0
Westmar   –   2 – 7 – 1
Evangel   –   2 – 8 – 0
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll

Conference champions

Conference Champion Record
Frontier Montana Tech 6–0
Heart of America Baker 7–0
Hoosier-Buckeye Findlay
Wilmington (OH) 		6–1
Kansas Southwestern (KS) 8–0–1
Nebraska Doane
Nebraska Wesleyan 		4–1
North Dakota Valley City State
Minot State 		5–1
Northwest Pacific Lutheran 4–1
South Dakota Black Hills State 5–0–2
Texas McMurry (TX)
Sul Ross 		4–2

Postseason

Quarterfinals
Campus sites 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		Championship
Tacoma, WA
      
Baker (KS) 3
Pacific Lutheran* 35
Pacific Lutheran* 16
Westminster (PA) 13
Westminster (PA) 28
Findlay* 0
Pacific Lutheran* 21
Northwestern (IA) 25
Wilmington (OH) 7
William Jewell* 51
William Jewell* 12
Northwestern (IA) 30
St. Thomas (MN) 10
Northwestern (IA)* 17

See also

References

  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
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