1997 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

1997 Central Michigan Chippewas football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
Record	2–9 (1–7 MAC)
Head coach	Dick Flynn (4th season)
MVP	Rollie Ferris
Home stadium	Kelly/Shorts Stadium

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
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 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth season under head coach Dick Flynn, the Chippewas compiled a 2–9 record (1–7 against MAC opponents), finished in fifth place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 479 to 282.^[1][2] The team played its home games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan,^[3] with attendance of 94,162 in five home games.^[4]

The team's statistical leaders included Tim Crowley with 2,204 passing yards, Eric Flowers with 909 rushing yards, and Reggie Allen with 877 receiving yards.^[5] Offensive guard Rollie Ferris was selected as the team's most valuable player.^[6]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	Northern Illinois	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	W 44–10	19,495
September 6	at No. 2 Florida*	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	L 6–82	85,347	[7]
September 13	Boise State*	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	W 44–26	19,003
September 20	at Louisiana Tech*	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	L 28–56	15,239	[8]
September 27	Eastern Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	L 24–31
October 4	at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 14–53
October 11	Toledo	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 10–41
October 18	at Ball State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	L 34–37 ^OT
October 25	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	L 37–60
November 1	Marshall	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 17–45	15,324
November 8	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry)	L 24–38
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1997 Central Michigan Chippewas football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 9 Tim Crowley Sr WR 6 Joe Danna Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class OLB 89 Joe Fortuna Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Dick Flynn Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

References

1. "1997 Central Michigan Chippewas Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. "Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Central Michigan University. 2015. pp. 100, 114. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
3. "Football Facilities". Central Michigan University. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
4. 2015 Media Guide, p. 87.
5. "1997 Central Michigan Chippewas Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
6. 2015 Media Guide, p. 95.
7. "82-6: Johnson's 7 first-half TD passes lead wipeout". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. September 7, 1997. pp. 1D, 10D – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Chippewas fall, 56–28". The Times Herald. September 21, 1997. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.