1980 NCAA Division III football season

1980 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1980
Playoffs	November – December 1980
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champions	Dayton Flyers
Division III football seasons « 1979 1981 »

The 1980 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 1980, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1980 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Dayton Flyers won their first Division III championship, defeating the defending national champion Ithaca Bombers by a final score of 63−0.

Conference changes and new programs

School	1979 Conference	1980 Conference
James Madison	D-III Independent	I-AA Independent

Conference champions

See also: List of NCAA Division III football seasons

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Centre College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Elmhurst and Illinois Wesleyan Independent College Athletic Conference – Ithaca Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Dubuque Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Cornell College and Lawrence Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead New England Football Conference – Maine Maritime New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Trenton State Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Baldwin Wallace (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater Presidents' Athletic Conference – Bethany (WV) Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Redlands Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – McMurry Twin Rivers Conference – Mount Senario Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–La Crosse, Wisconsin–Platteville, Wisconsin–River Falls, and Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 1980 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the eighth 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 eighth consecutive year. Like the previous five championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

NCAA Division III Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Ithaca		41
	Wagner		13
						Ithaca		36
						Minnesota–Morris		0
	Minnesota–Morris		41
	Dubuque		35
											Ithaca		0
											Dayton		63
	Dayton		34
	Baldwin Wallace		0
						Dayton		28
						Widener		24
	Widener		43
	Bethany (WV)		12

See also

• 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1980 NCAA Division II football season
• 1980 NAIA Division I football season
• 1980 NAIA Division II football season