1979 NCAA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust – November 1979
PlayoffsDecember 1979
National ChampionshipZia Bowl
University Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
ChampionDelaware

The 1979 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1979, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship in December 1979 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. During the game's two-year stretch in New Mexico, it was referred to as the Zia Bowl. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens defeated the Youngstown State Penguins, 38–21, to win their first Division II national title.[1]

Conference changes and new programs

  • One program upgraded to Division I-AA while two others downgraded back to Division II.
School1978 Conference1979 Conference
Bethune-CookmanSIAC (II)MEAC (I-AA)
Eastern WashingtonEvergreen (NAIA)Independent
Morgan StateMEAC (I-AA)Independent
Nicholls StateGulf SouthIndependent
North Carolina CentralMEAC (I-AA)CIAA (II)
Northern ColoradoIndependentNorth Central
Southeastern LouisianaGulf SouthIndependent

Conference standings

1979 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Youngstown State $^ 5 –0 –011 –2 –0
Northern Iowa 4 –1 –06 –5 –0
Akron 3 –2 –06 –5 –0
Eastern Illinois 1 –4 –07 –4 –0
Northern Michigan 1 –4 –04 –6 –0
Western Illinois 1 –4 –03 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1979 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Cal Poly $ 2 –0 –07 –3 –0
Cal State Northridge 1 –1 –03 –7 –0
Cal Poly Pomona 0 –2 –00 –11 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1979 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Virginia Union $^ 8 –0 –010 –2 –0
Winston-Salem State 6 –1 –18 –2 –1
Norfolk State 6 –1 –18 –3 –1
Virginia State 5 –2 –16 –4 –1
Fayetteville State 4 –3 –14 –4 –1
Elizabeth City State 2 –6 –03 –7 –0
Hampton 2 –6 –03 –8 –0
Livingstone 2 –6 –03 –8 –0
Johnson C. Smith 1 –6 –11 –9 –1
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –8 –00 –9 –0
Bowie State * 0 –0 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • * – ineligible for conference title
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1979 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
UC Davis $ 5 –0 –07 –2 –1
Humboldt State 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
Chico State 2 –3 –05 –6 –0
Sacramento State 2 –3 –04 –6 –0
San Francisco State 1 –4 –03 –7 –0
Cal State Hayward 1 –4 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Adjusted for Cal Poly Pomona forfeits to UC Davis and Sacramento State
1979 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 Saginaw Valley State $^ 4 –0 –18 –2 –1
Wayne State (MI) 3 –1 –13 –5 –1
Ferris State 3 –2 –05 –4 –1
Grand Valley State 2 –3 –04 –5 –0
Northwood 1 –4 –05 –4 –0
Hillsdale 1 –4 –03 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1979 Gulf South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Mississippi College $^ 5 –1 –010 –3 –0
Troy State 4 –1 –06 –3 –1
Tennessee–Martin 3 –2 –05 –5 –0
North Alabama 3 –3 –06 –5 –0
Delta State 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
Jacksonville State 1 –5 –04 –6 –0
Livingston 1 –5 –03 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Heartland Collegiate Conference standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Saint Joseph's (IN) $ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
Franklin (IN) 5 –2 –06 –4 –0
Butler 3 –2 –05 –5 –0
Valparaiso 2 –3 –05 –4 –0
Indiana Central 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Evansville 0 –6 –02 –9 –0
Georgetown (KY) * 3 –0 –04 –6 –0
Ashland * 0 –1 –03 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – ineligible for conference title
1979 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
NW Missouri State $ 5 –1 –06 –5 –0
SE Missouri State 5 –1 –06 –4 –1
Missouri-Rolla 3 –3 –07 –3 –1
SW Missouri State 3 –3 –07 –4 –0
NE Missouri State 3 –3 –04 –7 –0
Central Missouri State 1 –5 –02 –8 –0
Lincoln (MO) 1 –5 –04 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
1979 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 North Dakota $^ 5 –1 –010 –2 –0
No. 8 South Dakota State * ^ 4 –2 –09 –3 –0
North Dakota State 4 –2 –06 –4 –0
Nebraska–Omaha 3 –3 –08 –3 –0
South Dakota * 3 –3 –05 –6 –0
Augustana (SD) 2 –4 –04 –5 –0
Morningside 0 –6 –00 –10 –0
Northern Colorado † 0 –0 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • * – South Dakota State won two head-to-head games over South Dakota, which counted as one game for each team in the conference standings.
    † – Northern Colorado was ineligible for the conference title.
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Minnesota Duluth + 7 –1 –08 –2 –0
Moorhead State + 7 –1 –08 –3 –0
Minnesota Morris ^ 6 –2 –09 –2 –0
St. Cloud State 5 –3 –05 –6 –0
Mankato State 4 –4 –05 –5 –0
Michigan Tech 4 –4 –04 –6 –0
Southwest State (MN) 2 –6 –04 –7 –0
Bemidji State 1 –7 –01 –8 –1
Winona State 0 –8 –00 –11 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1979 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Division
Cheyney xy 4 –1 –09 –2 –0
Millersville x^ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
East Stroudsburg 3 –2 –07 –3 –0
Kutztown 3 –2 –06 –3 –0
Bloomsburg 1 –4 –02 –8 –0
Mansfield 0 –5 –00 –9 –0
West Division
Lock Haven xy$ 6 –0 –09 –2 –0
Clarion 5 –1 –09 –1 –0
Indiana (PA) 3 –3 –07 –3 –0
Slippery Rock 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Edinboro 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
Shippensburg 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
California (PA) 1 –5 –03 –7 –0
Championship: Lock Haven 48, Cheyney 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1979 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
No. 10 Fairmont State xy$ 7 –1 –19 –1 –1
No. T–15th West Liberty State x 7 –1 –17 –2 –1
Salem 6 –2 –16 –3 –1
Shepherd 5 –4 –05 –5 –0
West Virginia Wesleyan 1 –8 –01 –8 –0
Southern Division
West Virginia State xy 6 –3 –06 –5 –0
Concord 4 –3 –25 –3 –2
Glenville State 3 –6 –04 –6 –0
West Virginia Tech 1 –6 –21 –6 –2
Bluefield State 1 –7 –11 –8 –1
Championship: Fairmont State 14, West Virginia State 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1979 NCAA Division II independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Delaware ^   –  13 –1 –0
Towson State   –  9 –1 –0
No. 4 Morgan State ^   –  9 –2 –0
Eastern Washington   –  7 –2 –0
Nicholls State   –  8 –3 –0
United States International   –  8 –3 –0
American International   –  6 –3 –0
No. 10 Santa Clara   –  6 –3 –0
Kentucky State   –  6 –5 –0
Central State (OH)   –  5 –5 –0
Central Connecticut   –  4 –5 –0
James Madison   –  4 –5 –0
West Chester   –  4 –7 –0
Southern Connecticut State   –  3 –7 –0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  2 –8 –0
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll

Conference summaries

ConferenceChampions
Association of Mid-Continent UniversitiesYoungstown State
California Collegiate Athletic AssociationCal Poly
Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationVirginia Union
Far Western Football ConferenceUC Davis
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSaginaw Valley State
Gulf South ConferenceMississippi College
Heartland Collegiate ConferenceSaint Joseph's
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationNorthwest Missouri State
North Central ConferenceNorth Dakota
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceAlabama A&M

Postseason

1979 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams8
Finals Site
Champion
Runner-up
Semifinalists
Winning coach

The 1979 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the sixth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM for the first time. With the game being played in New Mexico for the next two years, it was deemed the Zia Bowl.

Playoff bracket

First round
Campus sites 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		Championship
University Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
         
Delaware 58
Virginia Union 28
Delaware 60
Mississippi College 10
Mississippi College 35
North Dakota 15
Delaware 38
Youngstown State 21
Youngstown State 51
South Dakota State 7
Youngstown State 52
Alabama A&M 0
Alabama A&M 27
Morgan State 7

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1979 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
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