1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

American college football season

1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles football

Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West
Record	4–7 (4–5 MAC)
Head coach	Rick Rasnick (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Sam Gruneisen (3rd season)
MVP	Charlie Batch
Captain	Charlie Batch, Jermaine Brooks, Lional Dalton, Savon Edwards
Home stadium	Rynearson Stadium
Seasons← 1996 1998 →

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Marshall x$	7	–	1	10	–	3
Miami (OH)	6	–	2	8	–	3
Ohio	6	–	2	8	–	3
Bowling Green	3	–	5	3	–	8
Kent State	3	–	5	3	–	8
Akron	2	–	7	2	–	9
West Division
Toledo x	7	–	1	9	–	3
Western Michigan	6	–	2	8	–	3
Ball State	4	–	4	5	–	6
Eastern Michigan	4	–	5	4	–	7
Central Michigan	1	–	7	2	–	9
Northern Illinois	0	–	8	0	–	11
Championship: Marshall 34, Toledo 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Rick Rasnick, the Eagles compiled a 4–7 record (4–5 against conference opponents), finished in fourth place in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, and were outscored by their opponents, 352 to 329. The team's statistical leaders included Charlie Batch with 3,280 passing yards, Savon Edwards with 627 rushing yards, and Ta-if Kumasi with 710 receiving yards. Batch went on to play 15 years in the National Football League.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 6	at Missouri*	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	L 24–44
September 13	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 35–38
September 20	Kent State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 38–41
September 27	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	W 31–24
October 4	Ohio	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 7–47
October 11	Ball State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 38–32
October 18	Akron*	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 45–0
October 25	at Marshall	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	L 25–48
November 1	Western Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 38–41
November 8	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 38–10
November 15	at UCF*	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 10–27
*Non-conference game Homecoming

After the season

The following Eagle was selected in the 1998 NFL draft after the season.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	60	Charlie Batch	Quarterback	Detroit Lions

References

"1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
"2015 Eastern Michigan Football Digital Media Guide" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 167, 170. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
"1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
"1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

v t e Eastern Michigan Eagles football
Venues	Normal Field (1927–1936) Briggs Field (1937–1968) Rynearson Stadium (1969–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Central Michigan Central Michigan, Western Michigan: Michigan MAC Trophy
Culture & lore	Marching band Swoop
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	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 1944 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

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