The 2002 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 7, 2002, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 2002, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Grand Valley State Lakers defeated the Valdosta State Blazers, 31–24, to win their first Division II national title.[2]

2002 NCAA Division II football season
Regular seasonSeptember 7 – November 16, 2002
PlayoffsNovember 23 – December 14, 2002[1]
National ChampionshipBraly Municipal Stadium
Florence, AL
ChampionGrand Valley State
Harlon Hill TrophyCurt Anes, Grand Valley State

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Curt Anes, quarterback from Grand Valley State.

Conference changes and new programs

edit
School 2001 Conference 2002 Conference
Gardner-Webb D-II Independent Big South (I-AA)
Saint Augustine's Program Revived CIAA (D-II)
Savannah State D-II Independent I-AA Independent

Conference standings

edit
2002 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern
Bowie State xy   5 2     6 5  
Virginia State   5 2     7 3  
Virginia Union   4 3     6 4  
Elizabeth City State   2 5     2 8  
Western
No. 16 Fayetteville State xy$^   7 0     10 2  
Winston-Salem State   4 3     4 6  
North Carolina Central   2 5     4 6  
Livingstone   2 5     3 7  
Johnson C. Smith   1 7     2 8  
St. Augustine's   0 7     0 8  
Championship: Fayetteville State 17, Bowie State 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Grand Valley State $^   9 0     14 0  
No. 15 Saginaw Valley State ^   8 2     9 3  
No. 19 Findlay   8 2     9 2  
Northwood   7 3     7 4  
Northern Michigan   6 4     6 5  
Ferris State   4 5     5 5  
Indianapolis   4 6     5 6  
Hillsdale   4 6     4 7  
Michigan Tech   3 7     3 7  
Wayne State (MI)   3 7     3 8  
Ashland   2 8     2 9  
Mercyhurst   1 9     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Great Northwest Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Central Washington $^   3 0     11 1  
Western Washington   2 1     6 4  
Western Oregon   1 2     5 5  
Humboldt State   0 3     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2002 Gulf South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Valdosta State $^   9 0     14 1  
Harding   7 2     9 2  
Central Arkansas   6 3     8 3  
Southern Arkansas   6 3     7 4  
Ouachita Baptist   5 4     5 5  
Henderson State   5 4     5 6  
Delta State   4 5     4 7  
West Alabama   3 6     5 6  
North Alabama   3 6     4 7  
Arkansas Tech   3 6     4 7  
Arkansas–Monticello   2 7     2 8  
West Georgia   1 8     3 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 NW Missouri State $^   9 0     12 1  
No. 8 Central Missouri State ^   8 1     10 2  
No. 23 Emporia State   6 3     9 3  
No. 13 Pittsburg State   6 3     8 3  
Missouri Western   4 5     6 5  
Truman   3 6     5 6  
Missouri Southern   3 6     5 6  
Washburn   3 6     3 8  
Southwest Baptist   2 7     3 8  
Missouri–Rolla   0 9     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2002 North Central Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Northern Colorado $^   8 0     12 2  
No. 21 St. Cloud State   6 2     9 2  
Nebraska–Omaha   5 3     6 5  
Augustana (SD)   4 4     7 4  
South Dakota State   4 4     6 4  
North Dakota   3 5     5 6  
Minnesota State   3 5     4 7  
South Dakota   2 6     3 8  
North Dakota State   1 7     2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Northeast-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 10 C. W. Post $^   10 1     11 1  
No. 24 Bentley   9 1     10 1  
Southern Connecticut   7 3     8 3  
Merrimack   6 4     6 4  
Saint Anselm   5 5     5 5  
American International   5 5     5 6  
Bryant   5 5     5 6  
Pace   3 7     3 7  
UMass Lowell   3 7     3 8  
Assumption   1 9     2 9  
Stonehill   1 9     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 Minnesota Duluth $^   9 0     11 1  
Winona State   8 1     8 4  
Concordia–St. Paul   7 2     9 2  
Bemidji State   6 3     6 5  
Minnesota State–Moorhead   4 5     5 5  
Northern State   4 5     4 7  
Southwest State (MN)   3 6     4 7  
Wayne State (NE)   3 6     3 8  
Minnesota–Crookston   1 8     1 10  
Minnesota Morris   0 9     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2002 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Bloomsburg x   5 1     8 2  
East Stroudsburg x   5 1     8 2  
West Chester   4 2     5 6  
Millersville   3 3     3 7  
Kutztown   2 4     4 7  
Mansfield   2 4     3 7  
Cheyney   0 6     0 11  
West Division
No. 6 IUP x^   6 0     11 2  
Slippery Rock   4 2     7 4  
Shippensburg   4 2     6 5  
Clarion   3 3     7 4  
Edinboro   2 4     5 6  
California (PA)   1 5     6 5  
Lock Haven   1 5     4 7  
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Nebraska–Kearney +^   7 1     9 2  
Chadron State +   7 1     8 2  
Mesa State   5 3     5 6  
Colorado Mines   4 4     7 4  
Adams State   4 4     5 6  
Western State (CO)   4 4     5 6  
Fort Hays State   3 5     5 6  
Fort Lewis   2 6     3 8  
New Mexico Highlands   0 8     0 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
2002 South Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 Carson–Newman $^   7 0     12 1  
No. 18 Catawba ^   6 1     8 3  
Presbyterian   5 2     8 3  
Mars Hill   4 3     7 4  
Tusculum   3 4     7 4  
Wingate   2 5     5 6  
Lenoir–Rhyne   1 6     3 7  
Newberry   0 7     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll
2002 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 Tuskegee $   7 1     10 1  
Albany State   6 2     7 4  
Fort Valley State   6 2     7 4  
Miles   5 3     6 5  
Morehouse   4 4     6 5  
Lane   3 5     4 7  
Kentucky State   2 6     3 8  
Benedict   2 6     2 9  
Clark Atlanta   1 7     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AFCA Poll
2002 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
West Virginia Wesleyan $   6 1     7 4  
Shepherd   5 2     7 3  
West Liberty State   5 2     6 5  
West Virginia Tech   5 2     6 5  
Glenville State   3 4     4 7  
Fairmont State   2 5     3 7  
Concord   2 5     3 8  
West Virginia State   0 7     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
2002 NCAA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 14 UC Davis ^       9 3  
New Haven       4 6  
Quincy       4 7  
Saint Joseph's (IN)       4 7  
Western New Mexico       2 7  
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA poll

Conference summaries

edit
Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Fayetteville State
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley State
Great Northwest Athletic Conference – Central Washington
Gulf South Conference – Valdosta State
Lone Star Conference – Texas A&M–Kingsville
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Northwest Missouri State
North Central Conference – Northern Colorado
Northeast-10 Conference – C.W. Post
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg (East), Indiana (PA) (West)
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Chadron State and Nebraska–Kearney
South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Tuskegee
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – West Virginia Wesleyan

Postseason

edit
2002 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams16
Finals Site
Champion
Runner-up
Semifinalists
Winning coach
  • championship

The 2002 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 29th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama for the 15th time.

Playoff bracket

edit
First round
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
Campus sites
Semifinals
Campus sites
Championship
Braly Municipal Stadium
Florence, AL
        
Valdosta State 24
Catawba 7
Valdosta State 31
Carson–Newman 28
Carson–Newman 40
Fayetteville State 27
Valdosta State 21
Texas A&M–Kingsville 12
UC Davis 24
Central Washington 6
UC Davis 20
Texas A&M–Kingsville 27*
Texas A&M–Kingsville 58
Nebraska–Kearney 40
Valdosta State 24
Grand Valley State 31
Grand Valley State 62
C.W. Post 13
Grand Valley State 62
IUP 21
IUP 27
Saginaw Valley State 23
Grand Valley State 44
Northern Colorado 7
NW Missouri State 45
Minnesota–Duluth 41
Northwest Missouri State 12
Northern Colorado 23
Northern Colorado 49
Central Missouri State 28

See also

edit

References

edit
  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. ^ "2002 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 19, 2014.