1997 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

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.

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 (capacity: 22,000)
Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
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	^[1]
October 18	at James Madison	No. 6	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (rivalry)	W 49–27	12,000	^[2]
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	^[3]
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	^[4]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[5]

References

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