What is D-III Football?
From Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Columbus, Ohio and everything in between, Saturday Night Football has captured the attention of Americans for years. The SEC, Big 10, ACC, and Big 12 have monopolized the screens of Americans across the country. With million-dollar deals brokered between colleges, conferences, and broadcasting corporations, Division I football has more viewers than ever. However, these moneyed interests have begun to cause strain for fans and players. A system originally built on community and good old-fashioned sports is beginning to disintegrate in favor of biggering profits and revenue streams. Where does this leave fans? Communities like Centenary have turned to Division III football.
Image Courtesy of Eddie Walker
“To me, D-III is currently the purest form of college athletics.” David Orr has been the Athletic Director for Centenary since 2021. As Athletic Director, Orr is in charge of everything from athletic budgets, hiring coaches, overseeing all 400 athletes, and much more.
In 2009, the Centenary Board of Trustees made the decision to step back from Division I in favor of Division III. Division III allows student athletes a more well-rounded college experience as more focus is put on academics. This was a large change for Centenary and is, in many ways, still developing.
Unlike other divisions, Division III schools like Centenary cannot offer athletic scholarships or any other advantage to student athletes. Orr added, “we have to report to the NCAA every single year what the benefits look like to be a student athlete. We have to be within the most narrow margin of equality.” While guaranteeing the continuation of Centenary’s academic focused culture, this can sometimes weaken the recruiting power of the school’s athletic programs.
Orr sees the restrictions of Division III as a guarantee of commitment and passion. “The players we have came here to play because they love their sport. That’s what college athletics was designed for.”
While there are 427 D-III schools, there are only 32 between Colorado and Georgia. While conference options are limited in the South, Orr made it clear that Centenary is a proud member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The SCAC is currently made up of twelve small private colleges from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Colorado that all uphold strong commitments to academics. D-III Conferences are constantly shifting and changing. Hendrix in Conway, Arkansas recently returned to the SCAC and McMurry University and Schreiner University set to leave at the end of the 2025-2026 season.
For people like Orr, D-III is a return to community-based sports. “How goes Shreveport is how goes Centenary. And how goes Centenary is how goes Shreveport.” D-III sports is, understandably, a difficult sell, but Orr believes that it might be just what is needed for our divided times.