1997 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

American college football season

1997 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Lambert Cup
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 21–23 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Division	Mid-Atlantic Division
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 3
Record	12–2 (7–1 A-10)
Head coach	Tubby Raymond (32nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Ted Kempski (30th season)
Offensive scheme	Delaware Wing-T
Defensive coordinator	Bob Sabol (7th season)
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium
Seasons← 1996 1998 →

1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
New England Division
New Hampshire x	5	–	3	5	–	6
Connecticut	4	–	4	7	–	4
Maine	4	–	4	5	–	6
Rhode Island	2	–	6	2	–	9
Boston University	1	–	7	1	–	10
UMass	1	–	7	2	–	9
Mid-Atlantic Division
No. 1 Villanova x$^	8	–	0	12	–	1
No. 3 Delaware ^	7	–	1	12	–	2
No. 20 Northeastern	5	–	3	8	–	3
Richmond	4	–	4	6	–	5
William & Mary	4	–	4	7	–	4
James Madison	3	–	5	5	–	6

$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 32nd-year head coach Tubby Raymond, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the A-10's Mid-Atlantic Division. For the sixth time in seven sessions, Delaware advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the Fightin' Blue Hens beat Hofstra in the first round and Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual national runner-up, McNeese State, in the semifinals. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 6	at No. 22 New Hampshire	No. 6	Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 27–10
September 13	No. 18 Villanova	No. 4	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (Battle of the Blue)	L 25–35
September 20	West Chester*	No. 11	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 28–7
September 27	at Northeastern	No. 10	Parsons Field Brookline, MA	W 38–14
October 4	at Boston University	No. 11	Nickerson Field Boston, MA	W 49–17
October 11	No. 21 Richmond	No. 6	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 24–7	14,324
October 18	at James Madison	No. 6	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (rivalry)	W 49–27	12,000
October 25	at UMass*	No. 4	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	W 40–9	5,317
November 1	No. 20 William & Mary	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 14–0	18,707
November 8	Connecticut	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 37–29
November 15	at Lehigh*	No. 3	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA (rivalry)	W 24–19	7,122
November 29	No. 17 Hofstra*	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 24–14
December 6	No. 8 Georgia Southern*	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 16–7	11,203
December 13	No. 7 McNeese State*	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	L 21–23	14,461
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

"Punter White lifts Blue Hens with foot, arm". The News Journal. October 12, 1997. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Blue Hens pile up the points". The News Journal. October 19, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Tomashek, Tom (November 16, 1997). "'Flat' Blue Hens Slip Past Lehigh". Sunday News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
"Kick halts Delaware's hopes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 14, 1997. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
"1997 Football Schedule". Delaware Blue Hens. Retrieved November 7, 2022.

v t e Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Venues	Frazer Field (1913–1946) Wilmington Park (1940–1952) Delaware Stadium (1952–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games 1974 Grantland Rice Bowl Delaware State: Route 1 Rivalry James Madison Lehigh Villanova: Battle of the Blue West Chester William & Mary
Culture & lore	YoUDee "The Delaware Fight Song" Marching Band Winged football helmet
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants
Colgate Delaware Eastern Kentucky Eastern Washington Florida A&M Georgia Southern Hampton Hofstra Jackson State McNeese State Montana Northwestern State Villanova Western Illinois Western Kentucky Youngstown State
Champion – Youngstown State Penguins