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1997 UMass Minutemen football
1997 UMass Minutemen football
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
	New England Division
Record	2–9 (1–7 A-10)
Head coach	Mike Hodges (6th season);
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Azzinaro (2nd season)
Home stadium	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
v t e
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

The 1997 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mike Hodges and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. It was Hodges' last as head coach, as he would take the position of assistant athletic director at the university in the offseason. The 1997 season was a tough one for the Minutemen as they stumbled to their worst record since 1953. UMass finished the season with a record of 2–9 overall and 1–7 in conference play.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	1:00 p.m.	Richmond	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		L 6–21	10,837	^[1]
September 13	1:00 p.m.	at Maine	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME		L 6–49	4,363	^[2]
September 20	6:00 p.m.	at James Madison	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA		L 10–13	11,300	^[3]
September 27	1:00 p.m.	Rhode Island	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 18–14	8,218
October 4	12:00 p.m.	New Hampshire	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)	A10 TV	L 10–28	14,835
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Villanova	Villanova Stadium Philadelphia, PA	NESN	L 27–49	7,109
October 18	1:30 p.m.	at Buffalo*	UB Stadium Amherst, NY		W 26–20	6,052
October 25	1:00 p.m.	No. 4 Delaware*	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		L 9–40	5,317
November 1	12:30 p.m.	No. 24 Hofstra*	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		L 13–51	2,510
November 8	1:00 p.m.	at Boston University	Nickerson Field Boston, MA		L 8–33	3,140
November 15	12:30 p.m.	Connecticut	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		L 16–49	2,870
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^ "UMass loses league opener". The Hartford Courant. August 31, 1997. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Fein's passing powers Bears past Minutemen". The Bangor Daily News. September 15, 1997. p. 15. Retrieved April 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "James Madison stops fumbling Minutemen". The Boston Globe. September 21, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.