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Division III is made up of over 450 institutions and has around 180,000 student athletes, making it the largest of the three divisions. The main goal of Division III is to focus on academics while still allowing the athletes to play the sport they love at a high level. Because of this, the seasons and practices are shortened to allow extra time for student-athletes to study. Another quality the Division III possesses is they cannot give out any athletic scholarships. Division III athletics makes the least amount of money of the three. The other divisions rely on TV contract and sponsors, Division III does not have that luxury. Their revenue is only 3 percent of what the other divisions make, causing them to fend for themselves when it comes to funding their sports programs. The only scholarships offered for a Division III athlete are through academic scholarships. Although disappointing for some, it should be noted that there is far more money in academic scholarships than through athletics. Generally, most athletes that play Division III sports do not play professionally. Although it is unlikely, there have been certain cases where some athletes do play professionally after college. For example, London Fletcher was a two sport athlete in college and went on to play in the National Football League. He was part of a Super Bowl winning team with the Rams. Another former DIII'er who played professionally is Ken Anderson. He played football at Augustana College and was signed as an undrafted free agent after graduation. He went on to win the NFL MVP and also threw for 32,000 yards during his career. Although it is possible to play professionally, most athletes in Division III only play for the love of the sport. They do not see futures as professionals and focus mainly on school.
“Division I About,” NCAA, Accessed Dec. 1st, 2017,
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