1982 NCAA Division II football season


The 1982 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 1982, and concluded with the Division II Football Championship on December 11, 1982, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl.
Southwest Texas State defeated UC Davis in the championship game, 34–9, to win their second overall and second consecutive Division II national title.

Conference changes and new programs

School1981 Conference1982 Conference
Alabama StateIndependentSWAC
Cal PolyCCAAWestern
Cal Poly PomonaCCAAWestern
Cal State NorthridgeCCAAWestern
Central FloridaD-III IndependentD-II Independent
Mankato StateIndependentNorth Central
Portland StateIndependentWestern
Santa ClaraIndependentWestern
St. Cloud StateIndependentNorth Central
West ChesterIndependentPSAC
Valdosta StateNew programGulf South

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Virginia Union
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale
Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State
Heartland Collegiate Conference – Ashland
Lone Star Conference – Southwest Texas State
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – 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 – East Stroudsburg
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa
South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Fort Valley State

Postseason

The 1982 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 10th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas, for the second time.