1997 Columbia Lions football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1997
| team = Columbia Lions
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Ivy League
| short_conf = Ivy
| record = 4–6{{cref|a}}
| conf_record = 3–4
| head_coach = Ray Tellier
| hc_year = 9th
| off_coach =
| oc_year =
| off_scheme =
| def_coach =
| dc_year =
| def_scheme =
| captain = Jay DuPertuis
| captain2 = Matt Kuhn
| stadium = Wien Stadium
}}
{{1997 Ivy League football standings}}
The 1997 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Columbia tied for fifth in the Ivy League.
In their ninth season under head coach Ray Tellier, the Lions compiled a 4–6 record and were outscored 259 to 141. Jay DuPertuis and Matt Kuhn were the team captains.{{cite web |title=Columbia Football 2019 Record Book |publisher=Columbia University |location=New York, N.Y. |accessdate=June 15, 2020 |page=218 |url=https://issuu.com/columbiaathletics/docs/2019_columbia_football_record_book}}
The Lions' 3–4 conference record tied for fifth in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 177 to 106 by Ivy opponents.{{cite book|url=https://ivyleague.com/documents/2017/8/23/3_Year_By_Year_History_2017.pdf?id=2998|title=Ivy League Football Media Guide|chapter=Year-by-Year History|publisher=Ivy League|location=Princeton, N.J.|date=2017|accessdate=July 10, 2020|page=37}}
Columbia played its homes games at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in Upper Manhattan, in New York City.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
| rankyear = 1997
| rankdivision = NCAA Division I-AA
| poll = The Sports Network
| September 20 | @ | Harvard
| Harvard Stadium | Boston, MA | L 7 45
| 7,658 | {{cite news |title=Harvard Opening Act Is a Smash |first=Bob |last=Monahan |date=September 21, 1997 |page=C20 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59317496/1997-columbia-harvard/ }}
| September 27 | | Towson
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | W 16 6
| 2,710 | {{cite news |title=Columbia's Defense Too Tough for Towson |first=Sarah |last=Hughes |date=September 28, 1997 |page=80 |edition=racing final |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York, N.Y.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59319495/1997-columbia-towson/ }}
| October 4 | @ | Lafayette
| Fisher Field | Easton, PA | L 3 31
| 3,822 | {{cite news |title=Lafayette Puts It into Higher Gear to End Slide |first=Ted |last=Meixell |date=October 5, 1997 |page=C3 |newspaper=The Morning Call |location=Allentown, Pa.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59362464/1997-columbia-lafayette/ }}
| October 11 | | Holy Cross
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | L 16 45
| 3,335 | {{cite news |title=Columbia Humbled; Fordham Pummeled |agency=Associated Press |date=October 12, 1997 |page=97 |edition=metro |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York, N.Y.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59363318/1997-o11-ivies/ }} Attendance figure in {{cite news |title=Summaries |date=October 12, 1997 |page=C17 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.}}
| October 18 | | Penn
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | W 7 24 {{cref|a}}
| 3,909 | {{cite news |title=Finn Just Fine in Penn's Victory |first=Michael |last=Rosenberg |date=October 19, 1997 |page=C8 |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Philadelphia, Pa.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59374070/1997-columbia-penn/ }}
| October 25 | | Yale
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | W 21 10
| 4,665 | {{cite news |title=Columbia Shuts Down Yale Offense |first=Bruce |last=Berlet |date=October 26, 1997 |page=D9 |newspaper=The Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Conn.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59376662/1997-columbia-yale/ }} Attendance figure in {{cite news |title=Ivy League Summaries |date=October 26, 1997 |page=F14 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.}}
| November 1 | | Princeton
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | W 17 0
| 1,015 | {{cite news |title=Turnovers Help Lions Dominate Princeton |agency=Associated Press |date=November 2, 1997 |page=C17 |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Philadelphia, Pa.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59378334/1997-columbia-princeton/ }}
| November 8 | | Dartmouth
| Wien Stadium | New York, NY | L 21 23
| 1,375 | {{cite news |title=Dartmouth 23, Columbia 21 |date=November 9, 1997 |page=B8 |newspaper=The Sunday Rutland Herald |location=Rutland, Vt.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59379274/1997-columbia-dartmouth/ }} Attendance figure in {{cite news |title=Scores and I-AA Summaries |date=November 9, 1997 |page=6D |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |location=Fort Lauderdale, Fla.}}
| November 15 | @ | Cornell
| Schoellkopf Field | Ithaca, NY (rivalry) | L 22 33
| 1,158 | {{cite news |title=Sun Shines for Red in Victory |first=Keith |last=McShea |date=November 17, 1997 |page=5B |newspaper=The Ithaca Journal |location=Ithaca, N.Y.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59381041/1997-columbia-cornell/ }}
| November 22 | @ | Brown
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | L 11 42
| 1,520 | {{cite news |title=Brown 42, Columbia 11 |agency=Associated Press |date=November 23, 1997 |page=C17 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59381697/1997-brown-columbia/ }}
}}
Note
{{cnote|a|In January 1998, Penn agreed to forfeit its Ivy League wins from 1997 after star defensive tackle Mitch Marrow was declared ineligible as a part-time student.{{cite news |title=Penn Forfeits 5 Wins in Marrow Case |first=Edward |last=Moran |date=January 3, 1998 |page=39 |newspaper=Philadelphia Daily News |location=Philadelphia, Pa.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59296794/1997-penn-forfeits/ }} Columbia's and Penn's{{cite web |title=Football Fact Book: All-Time Year-by-Year |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |location=Philadelphia, Pa. |page=159 |accessdate=June 20, 2020 |url=https://pennathletics.com/sports/2019/8/25/football-fact-book.aspx}} record books regard their 1997 meeting, a 24–7 Penn victory on the field, as a Columbia win, as do the 1997 win–loss records and season standings in the Ivy League record book.}}