1997 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team

1997 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football
Conference	Patriot League
Record	4–7 (2–4 Patriot)
Head coach	Kevin Higgins (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Andy Coen (2nd season)
Captains	Rabih Abdullah Nate Kmieciak Caleb Moyer
Home stadium	Goodman Stadium

1997 Patriot League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Colgate $^		6	–	0					7	–	5
No. 24 Bucknell		5	–	1					10	–	1
Fordham		4	–	2					5	–	6
Holy Cross		2	–	4					4	–	7
Lehigh		2	–	4					4	–	7
Lafayette		2	–	4					3	–	8
Towson		0	–	6					2	–	8
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh tied for second-to-last in the Patriot League.

In their fourth year under head coach Kevin Higgins, the Mountain Hawks compiled a 4–7 record.^[1] Rabih Abdullah, Caleb Moyer and Nate Kmieciak were the team captains.^[2]

The Mountain Hawks were outscored 326 to 307. Lehigh's 2–4 conference record placed it in a three-way tie for fourth in the seven-team Patriot League standings.^[3]

Lehigh played its home games at Goodman Stadium on the university's Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Fordham*	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	L 35–42 ^OT		[1]
September 20	at Towson	Minnegan Stadium Towson, MD	W 16–14	2,765	[4]
September 27	Harvard*	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 30–35	11,107	[5]
October 4	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 28–61	6,000	[6]
October 11	Penn*	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 24–7	10,111	[7]
October 18	at Hofstra*	Hofstra Stadium Hempstead, NY	L 38–45		[1]
October 25	at Dartmouth*	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	W 46–26	4,525	[8]
November 1	at Bucknell	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 14–21	3,074	[9]
November 8	Holy Cross	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 14–20	4,865	[10]
November 15	No. 3 Delaware*	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA (rivalry)	L 19–24	7,122	[11]
November 18	Lafayette	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	W 43–31	14,393	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 22. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Lehigh Football Captains". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 12. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 6. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
4. Blockus, Gary R. (September 21, 1997). "Lehigh Gets Its Phil in Win Over Towson". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Blockus, Gary R. (September 28, 1997). "Lehigh's Rally Falls Short vs. Harvard". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Colgate Rolls with 678 Yards in Romp". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. Associated Press. October 5, 1997. pp. 6F, 7F – via Newspapers.com.
7. Blockus, Gary R. (October 12, 1997). "Stambaugh, Abdullah Steer Lehigh Past Penn". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Lessels, Allen (October 26, 1997). "Green's Streak Is Ended". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. F14 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Blockus, Gary R. (November 2, 1997). "Lehigh Gets Muddled by Bucknell in Mud Bath". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Blockus, Gary R. (November 26, 1997). "Turnovers and Quick Strikes Doom Lehigh". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C7 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Tomashek, Tom (November 16, 1997). "'Flat' Blue Hens Slip Past Lehigh". Sunday News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Blockus, Gary R. (November 23, 1997). "Lehigh Engineers Great Comeback". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.