The 2003 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 on September 6, 2003, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 13, 2003 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Grand Valley State Lakers defeated the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, 10–3, to win their second Division II national title.[2]

2003 NCAA Division II football season
Regular seasonSeptember 6 – November 15, 2003
PlayoffsNovember 22 – December 13, 2003[1]
National ChampionshipBraly Municipal Stadium
Florence, AL
ChampionGrand Valley State (2)
Harlon Hill TrophyWill Hall, North Alabama

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Will Hall, quarterback from North Alabama.

Conference changes and new programs

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Conference changes

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School 2002 Conference 2003 Conference
Minnesota Morris Northern Sun UMAC (D-III)
Morningside North Central GPAC (NAIA)
North Greenville NAIA Independent Independent
Northern Colorado North Central Independent
Quincy Independent Mid-States (NAIA)
Shaw Program Revived CIAA
Tiffin Mid-States (NAIA) Independent

Conference standings

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2003 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern
Virginia Union xy   5 2     6 5  
Bowie State   5 2     6 4  
Shaw   4 3     7 3  
Virginia State   3 4     5 5  
Elizabeth City State   2 5     2 8  
Western
Fayetteville State # xy$   5 2     8 3  
Winston-Salem State   5 2     7 3  
Livingstone   3 4     3 7  
North Carolina Central   2 5     4 6  
Johnson C. Smith   1 6     1 9  
St. Augustine's @   0 4     0 5  
Championship: Fayetteville State 23, Virginia Union 19
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • # – Pioneer Bowl participant

    @ – St. Augustine's vacated 5 wins including 3 in conference play.

2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Saginaw Valley State $^   10 0     12 1  
No. 4 Grand Valley State ^   9 1     14 1  
Northwood   6 4     6 5  
Ferris State   5 5     6 5  
Findlay   5 5     6 5  
Indianapolis   5 5     6 5  
Michigan Tech   5 5     5 5  
Mercyhurst   4 6     5 6  
Hillsdale   4 6     4 7  
Northern Michigan   3 7     3 8  
Wayne State (MI)   2 8     3 8  
Ashland   2 8     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2003 Great Northwest Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Western Washington $   3 0     4 6  
Central Washington   2 1     6 4  
Western Oregon   1 2     4 6  
Humboldt State   0 3     3 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • First Humboldt State vs. Western Oregon game (Sept. 6) did not count as a conference game
2003 Gulf South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 North Alabama $^   9 0     13 1  
No. 5 Valdosta State ^   8 1     10 2  
No. 12 Southern Arkansas ^   7 2     9 3  
No. 14 Delta State   7 2     9 2  
Ouachita Baptist   4 5     5 5  
Arkansas Tech   4 5     5 6  
Central Arkansas   3 6     5 6  
Harding   3 6     4 6  
Arkansas–Monticello   3 6     4 7  
Henderson State   3 6     4 7  
West Georgia   2 7     3 8  
West Alabama   1 8     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2003 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 15 Central Missouri State +   7 2     9 2  
No. 16 Emporia State +^   7 2     9 3  
Missouri Western # +   7 2     9 3  
No. 13 Pittsburg State +^   7 2     9 3  
No. 25 NW Missouri State +   7 2     8 3  
Truman   4 5     4 7  
Washburn   3 6     5 6  
Southwest Baptist   2 7     3 8  
Missouri Southern   1 8     1 10  
Missouri–Rolla   0 9     0 11  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • # – Mineral Water Bowl participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2003 North Central Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 North Dakota $^   7 0     12 2  
No. 23 North Dakota State   5 2     8 3  
No. 24 Nebraska–Omaha   5 2     8 3  
South Dakota State   4 3     7 4  
St. Cloud State   4 3     7 4  
South Dakota   2 5     5 6  
Augustana (SD)   1 6     3 8  
Minnesota State   0 7     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2003 Northeast-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 19 Bentley $^   9 0     10 1  
C. W. Post   8 1     9 2  
Southern Connecticut   7 2     9 2  
Merrimack   6 3     6 3  
American International   5 4     5 4  
Bryant   3 6     3 7  
Assumption   2 7     4 7  
Saint Anselm   2 7     3 7  
Pace   2 7     2 8  
Stonehill   1 8     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2003 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 Winona State +^   7 1     11 2  
Concordia–St. Paul +   7 1     8 4  
Minnesota Duluth   6 2     8 3  
Northern State   5 3     7 4  
Bemidji State   5 3     7 4  
Minnesota State–Moorhead   2 6     3 8  
Wayne State (NE)   2 6     3 8  
Southwest Minnesota State   1 7     3 8  
Minnesota–Crookston   1 7     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2003 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
East Stroudsburg x   5 1     8 3  
Bloomsburg x   5 1     7 4  
West Chester   4 2     8 3  
Mansfield   3 3     8 3  
Kutztown   3 3     6 5  
Millersville   1 5     4 7  
Cheyney   0 6     2 9  
West Division
No. 6 IUP x   5 1     10 1  
No. 18 Edinboro x^   5 1     9 3  
Shippensburg   4 2     8 3  
California (PA)   2 4     6 4  
Slippery Rock   2 4     4 7  
Clarion   1 5     3 8  
Lock Haven   1 5     3 8  
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2003 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mesa State $^   8 0     10 2  
Chadron State   6 2     8 2  
Fort Hays State   5 3     6 5  
Colorado Mines   4 4     6 5  
Nebraska–Kearney   4 4     5 5  
Western State (CO)   4 4     5 6  
Adams State   3 5     4 7  
Fort Lewis   2 6     3 8  
New Mexico Highlands   0 8     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
2003 South Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Carson–Newman +^   6 1     11 2  
No. 11 Catawba +   6 1     9 2  
No. 17 Tusculum +   6 1     9 2  
Mars Hill   3 4     7 4  
Wingate   2 5     5 6  
Presbyterian   2 5     4 6  
Newberry   2 5     3 7  
Lenoir–Rhyne   1 6     3 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2003 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Albany State # $   7 1     10 2  
Miles   6 2     7 3  
Kentucky State   6 2     7 4  
Fort Valley State   5 3     7 4  
Benedict   4 4     6 5  
Tuskegee   4 4     5 6  
Morehouse   3 5     4 7  
Lane   1 7     2 9  
Clark Atlanta   0 8     0 11  
2003 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
West Virginia Wesleyan $   7 0     9 2  
Glenville State   4 3     5 6  
Shepherd   4 3     4 6  
Fairmont State   3 4     4 6  
West Liberty State   3 4     4 7  
West Virginia State   3 4     3 8  
Concord   2 5     3 8  
West Virginia Tech   2 5     3 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
2003 NCAA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
UC Davis       6 4  
Quincy       5 6  
Western New Mexico       3 7  
Saint Joseph's (IN)       2 9  
New Haven       1 9  

Conference summaries

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Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Fayetteville State
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saginaw Valley State
Great Northwest Athletic Conference – Western Washington
Gulf South Conference – North Alabama
Lone Star Conference – Texas A&M–Kingsville
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Central Missouri State, Emporia State, Missouri Western State, Northwest Missouri State, and Pittsburg State
North Central Conference – North Dakota
Northeast-10 Conference – Bentley
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Concordia–Saint Paul and Winona State
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg (East), Edinboro and Indiana (PA) (West)
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Mesa State
South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Tusculum
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – West Virginia Wesleyan

Postseason

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2003 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams16
Finals Site
Champion
Runner-up
Semifinalists
Winning coach
  • championship

The 2003 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 30th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II. This was the final year of the 16-team bracket before the field expanded to 24 teams in 2004.

Playoff bracket

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First round
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
Campus sites
Semifinals
Campus sites
Championship
Braly Municipal Stadium
Florence, AL
        
North Dakota 24
Pittsburg State 14
North Dakota 36
Winona State 29
Winona State 10
Emporia State 3
North Dakota 29
North Alabama 22
North Alabama 48
Southern Arkansas 24
North Alabama 41
Carson–Newman 9
Carson–Newman 35
Valdosta State 29
North Dakota 3
Grand Valley State 10
Saginaw Valley State 33
Edinboro 9
Saginaw Valley State 3
Grand Valley State 10
Grand Valley State 65
Bentley 36
Grand Valley State 31
Texas A&M–Kingsville 3
Central Oklahoma 20
Mesa State 15
Central Oklahoma 6
Texas A&M–Kingsville 49
Texas A&M–Kingsville 34
Tarleton State 10

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2000-2004 Grand Valley State Schedules". College Football Warehouse. cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "2003 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 19, 2014.