1997 NCAA Division II football season

1997 NCAA Division II Football Championship
1997 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	16
Finals Site	Braly Municipal Stadium; Florence, AL;
Champion	Northern Colorado; (2nd title, title game);
Runner-up	New Haven; (1st title game);
Semifinalists	Carson–Newman; UC Davis;
Winning coach	championship;

1997 NCAA Division II football season
1997 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	September 6 – November 15, 1997
Playoffs	November 22 – December 13, 1997
National Championship	Braly Municipal Stadium; Florence, AL
Champion	Northern Colorado
Harlon Hill Trophy	Irvin Singler, Bloomsburg
	← 1996; NCAA Division II football seasons; 1998 →;

The 1997 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on September 6, 1997, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 13, 1997, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama.

Northern Colorado defeated New Haven in the championship game, 51–0, to win their second Division II national title.^[2]

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Irvin Sigler, running back from Bloomsburg.

Conference changes and new programs

Team	1996 conference	1997 conference
Chico State	NCAC	dropped program
East Central	Oklahoma Intercollegiate (NAIA)	Lone Star
Elon	South Atlantic	Independent
Harding	Independent (NAIA)	Lone Star
Humboldt State	NCAC	Columbia (NAIA)
Mississippi College	Independent	American Southwest (D-III)
Norfolk State	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association	NCAA Division I-AA independent
Northeastern State	Oklahoma Intercollegiate (NAIA)	Lone Star
Ouachita Baptist	Independent (NAIA)	Lone Star
Sonoma State	NCAC	dropped program
Southeastern Oklahoma State	Oklahoma Intercollegiate (NAIA)	Lone Star
Southwestern Oklahoma State	Oklahoma Intercollegiate (NAIA)	Lone Star

Conference standings

1997 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Virginia State +	5	–	2	8	–	2
Livingstone +	5	–	2	8	–	3
Virginia Union +	5	–	2	7	–	4
Winston-Salem State	4	–	3	6	–	4
North Carolina Central	4	–	3	4	–	7
Fayetteville State	3	–	4	4	–	7
Bowie State	2	–	5	4	–	6
Elizabeth City State	1	–	6	2	–	8
Johnson C. Smith	1	–	6	2	–	8

+ – Conference co-champions Livingstone forfeited conference wins over Virginia Union and Bowie State.

1997 Eastern Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Atlantic Division
Albany xy$	8	–	0	11	–	1
Southern Connecticut	6	–	2	7	–	4
C. W. Post	5	–	3	6	–	4
Stony Brook	4	–	4	4	–	6
Pace	3	–	4	4	–	5
Sacred Heart	1	–	7	1	–	9
Bay State Division
American International xy	8	–	0	8	–	4
Bentley	5	–	3	6	–	3
Stonehill	3	–	5	4	–	6
Merrimack	3	–	5	3	–	6
UMass Lowell	1	–	7	2	–	8
Assumption	0	–	7	0	–	9
Championship: Albany 27, American International 20
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

1997 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 10 Southern Arkansas +^	6	–	1	9	–	2
West Georgia +	6	–	1	8	–	2
No. 13 North Alabama	6	–	2	9	–	3
Central Arkansas	5	–	3	6	–	3
Valdosta State	5	–	3	6	–	5
Arkansas Tech	4	–	4	4	–	7
Henderson State	3	–	5	4	–	6
Delta State	3	–	6	3	–	7
West Alabama	1	–	6	4	–	6
Arkansas–Monticello	0	–	8	0	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Overall
No. 4 Texas A&M–Kingsville $^	9	–	0	9	–	2
No. 6 Angelo State ^	8	–	1	10	–	2
Central Oklahoma	7	–	2	9	–	2
West Texas A&M	6	–	3	7	–	4
SW Oklahoma State	5	–	4	5	–	5
Abilene Christian	5	–	4	7	–	4
Northeastern State	4	–	4	4	–	7
SE Oklahoma State	3	–	5	3	–	7
Harding	3	–	5	5	–	5
Ouachita Baptist	3	–	5	4	–	6
Texas A&M–Commerce	3	–	6	3	–	8
Eastern New Mexico	3	–	6	5	–	6
Midwestern State	3	–	6	3	–	7
Tarleton State	3	–	6	4	–	7
East Central	0	–	8	0	–	10
North
Central Oklahoma x	5	–	1	9	–	2
SW Oklahoma State x	5	–	1	5	–	5
Northeastern State	4	–	2	4	–	7
Harding	3	–	3	5	–	5
Ouachita Baptist	3	–	3	4	–	6
SE Oklahoma State	1	–	5	3	–	7
East Central	0	–	6	0	–	10
South
No. 4 Texas A&M–Kingsville x$^	7	–	0	9	–	2
No. 6 Angelo State ^	6	–	1	10	–	2
Abilene Christian	4	–	3	7	–	4
West Texas A&M	4	–	3	7	–	4
Eastern New Mexico	2	–	5	5	–	6
Tarleton State	2	–	5	4	–	7
Texas A&M–Commerce	3	–	5	3	–	8
Midwestern State	1	–	6	3	–	7

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 3 NW Missouri State $^	9	–	0	12	–	1
No. 8 Pittsburg State ^	8	–	1	9	–	2
Missouri Southern	6	–	3	7	–	3
Truman State	6	–	3	6	–	4
Emporia State	5	–	4	7	–	4
Central Missouri State	4	–	5	5	–	6
Missouri Western	3	–	6	5	–	6
Washburn	2	–	7	3	–	8
Missouri–Rolla	2	–	7	3	–	8
Southwest Baptist	0	–	9	0	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Ashland +^	9	–	1	9	–	2
Grand Valley State +	9	–	1	9	–	1
Saginaw Valley State	8	–	2	9	–	2
Indianapolis	7	–	3	8	–	3
Northern Michigan	6	–	4	7	–	4
Hillsdale	4	–	6	4	–	7
Ferris State	3	–	7	3	–	7
Northwood	3	–	7	3	–	7
Wayne State (MI)	3	–	7	3	–	8
Michigan Tech	2	–	8	2	–	8
St. Francis (IL)	1	–	9	1	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant

1997 North Central Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 11 Northern Colorado $^	8	–	1	13	–	2
North Dakota	7	–	2	8	–	2
No. 16 North Dakota State ^	7	–	2	9	–	3
Nebraska–Omaha	6	–	3	8	–	3
St. Cloud State	5	–	4	6	–	5
South Dakota	3	–	6	5	–	6
Augustana (SD)	3	–	6	5	–	6
Mankato State	3	–	6	4	–	7
South Dakota State	3	–	6	4	–	6
Morningside	0	–	9	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Winona State $	6	–	0	9	–	2
Minnesota Duluth	4	–	2	4	–	6
Southwest State (MN)	3	–	3	5	–	6
Moorhead State	3	–	3	5	–	5
Northern State	3	–	3	4	–	7
Minnesota Morris	1	–	5	3	–	7
Bemidji State	1	–	5	2	–	8

$ – Conference champion

1997 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Bloomsburg x	6	–	0	8	–	2
Millersville	4	–	2	7	–	3
West Chester	4	–	2	5	–	6
Kutztown	3	–	3	6	–	4
East Stroudsburg	3	–	3	4	–	6
Mansfield	1	–	5	1	–	10
Cheyney	0	–	6	0	–	11
West Division
No. 7 Slippery Rock x^	6	–	0	11	–	2
Shippensburg	4	–	2	6	–	4
IUP	4	–	2	5	–	5
Edinboro	2	–	4	4	–	6
Clarion	2	–	4	3	–	7
Lock Haven	2	–	4	3	–	8
California (PA)	1	–	5	2	–	8

x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Western State (CO) $^	7	–	1	9	–	3
Chadron State	6	–	2	8	–	3
New Mexico Highlands	6	–	2	8	–	3
Nebraska–Kearney	6	–	2	7	–	4
Fort Hays State	4	–	4	5	–	6
Fort Lewis	3	–	5	4	–	7
Mesa State	2	–	6	4	–	7
Colorado Mines	1	–	7	3	–	8
Adams State	1	–	7	1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant

1997 South Atlantic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Carson–Newman $^	7	–	0	11	–	1
Catawba	5	–	2	8	–	3
Gardner–Webb	4	–	3	8	–	3
Wingate	4	–	3	8	–	3
Mars Hill	3	–	4	5	–	5
Presbyterian	3	–	4	5	–	6
Newberry	2	–	5	4	–	7
Lenoir–Rhyne	0	–	7	0	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 5 Albany State $^	6	–	0	11	–	1
Alabama A&M	4	–	2	7	–	4
Kentucky State	4	–	2	7	–	5
Fort Valley State	4	–	2	5	–	6
Tuskegee	3	–	3	7	–	4
Morris Brown	3	–	3	6	–	5
Miles	3	–	3	4	–	6
Clark Atlanta	2	–	4	4	–	7
Savannah State	1	–	5	3	–	8
Morehouse	0	–	6	3	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Shepherd +	6	–	1	9	–	1
No. 15 Glenville State +^	6	–	1	9	–	3
West Virginia Wesleyan	5	–	2	5	–	5
Concord	3	–	4	5	–	5
Fairmont State	3	–	4	5	–	6
West Virginia State	3	–	4	5	–	6
West Liberty State	2	–	5	4	–	6
West Virginia Tech	0	–	7	0	–	11

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

1997 NCAA Division II independents football records
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 New Haven ^		–		12	–	2
Mercyhurst		–		6	–	3
No. 14 UC Davis ^		–		9	–	5
Elon		–		7	–	4
Western New Mexico		–		5	–	5
Saint Joseph's (IN)		–		5	–	6
Wayne State (NE)		–		3	–	7
Quincy		–		0	–	10

^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

Conference summaries

Conference Champions
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Livingstone, Virginia State, and Virginia Union Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Albany Gulf South Conference – Southern Arkansas and West Georgia Lone Star Conference – Texas A&M–Kingsville Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Northwest Missouri State Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference – Grand Valley State and Ashland North Central Conference – Northern Colorado Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Winona State Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg (East), Slippery Rock (West) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Western State (CO) South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Glenville State and Shepherd

Postseason

The 1997 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 24th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, for the 11th time.

Playoff bracket

First round Campus sites		Quarterfinals Campus sites		Semifinals Campus sites		Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL

UC Davis	37

Texas A&M–Kingsville†	34
		UC Davis	50

		Angelo State	33
Angelo State	46

Western State (CO)	20
				UC Davis	25

				New Haven	27
New Haven	47

Glenville State	7
		New Haven	49

		Slippery Rock	21
Slippery Rock	30

Ashland	20
						New Haven	0

						Northern Colorado	51
Northwest Missouri State	39

North Dakota State	28
		Northwest Missouri State	19

		Northern Colorado	35
Northern Colorado	24

Pittsburg State	16
				Northern Colorado	30

				Carson–Newman	29
Carson–Newman	21

North Alabama	7
		Carson–Newman	23

		Albany State	22
Albany State	10

Southern Arkansas	6

References

^ "1995-1999 Northern Colorado Schedules". College Football Warehouse. cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
^ "1997 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

[1] "1995-1999 Northern Colorado Schedules". College Football Warehouse. cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

[2] "1997 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

[1]

[2]

v t e NCAA football seasons
Pre-NCAA	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905
NCAA pre-divisional	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
NCAA University Division	1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
NCAA College Division	1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
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