1988 NCAA Division II football season

American college football season August 2023 1988 August – November 1988 November 19 – December 10, 1988 December 10, 1988 Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL North Dakota State (4) Johnny Bailey, Texas A&I The 1988 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 1988, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 10, 1988, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the Portland State Vikings, 35–21, to win their fourth Division II national title. The tournament bracket also expanded for the first time, from 8 teams to 16 teams.1988 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d2/2012DIIfbchamp.pdf NCAA NCAA.org January 4, 2014 13 The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Johnny Bailey, running back from Texas A&I, for the second consecutive year. Conference changes and new programs St. Paul's (VA) dropped their football program in July of 1988 and would not return to the gridiron until 2002. Saint Paul's drops football program https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-saint-pauls-dro/196559527/ Richmond Times-Dispatch Richmond, Virginia July 9, 1988 11 April 29, 2026 newspapers.com School 1987 Conference 1988 Conference Cameron NAIA Independent Lone Star Central State (OK) NAIA Independent Lone Star Evansville Heartland Mid-South (NAIA) Liberty D-II Independent I-AA Independent St. Paul's (VA) CIAA Dropped Program Southwest Baptist NAIA Independent MIAA Wofford NAIA Independent Independent Conference standings Conference summaries List of NCAA Division II football seasons Conference ChampionsCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State, Mississippi College, and Tennessee–Martin Heartland Collegiate Conference – Butler Lone Star Conference – Texas A&I Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Central Missouri State, Southeast Missouri State, and Northeast Missouri State North Central Conference – North Dakota State Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota State–Moorhead Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Millersville (East), Shippensburg (West) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Lenoir-Rhyne Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State Western Football League – Portland State Postseason II 1988 16 Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL North Dakota State 4th Portland State 2nd Sacramento State Texas A&I The 1988 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 16th 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 third time. Playoff bracket First roundCampus sites QuarterfinalsCampus sites SemifinalsCampus sites ChampionshipBraly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL North Dakota State 49 1988 Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings Augustana (SD) 7 1988 Millersville Marauders Millersville 27 1988 IUP Indians IUP 24 Sacramento State 35 UC Davis 14 1988 North Carolina Central Eagles North Carolina Central 31 1988 Winston-Salem State Rams Winston-Salem State 16 1988 Texas A&I Javelinas Texas A&I 39 1988 Mississippi College Choctaws Mississippi College 15 1988 UT Martin Pacers Tennessee–Martin 23 1988 Butler Bulldogs Butler 6 1988 Portland State Vikings Portland State 34 1988 Bowie State Bulldogs Bowie State 17 Jacksonville State 63 1988 West Chester Golden Rams West Chester 24 North Dakota State 36 Millersville 26 Sacramento State 56 North Carolina Central 7 Texas A&I 34 Tennessee–Martin 0 Portland State 20 Jacksonville State 13 North Dakota State 42 Sacramento State 20 Texas A&I 27 Portland State 35 North Dakota State 35 Portland State 21 See also 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season 1988 NCAA Division III football season 1988 NAIA Division I football season 1988 NAIA Division II football season References