1997 Toledo Rockets football team

The 1997 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh season under head coach Gary Pinkel, the Rockets compiled a 9–3 record (7–1 against MAC opponents), finished in first place in the MAC's West Division, lost to Marshall in the MAC Football Championship Game (14–34), and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 356 to 268.

1997 Toledo Rockets football
MAC West Division champion
MAC Championship Game, L 14–34 vs. Marshall
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
Record	9–3 (7–1 MAC)
Head coach	Gary Pinkel (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Christensen (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Tom Amstutz (4th season)
Home stadium	Glass Bowl

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings

	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 team's statistical leaders included Chris Wallace with 2,955 passing yards, Dwayne Harris with 1,278 rushing yards, and Brock Kreitzburg with 626 receiving yards.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 6	Purdue*		Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 36–22	27,700
September 13	Eastern Michigan		Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 38–35
September 20	at Western Michigan		Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI		W 23–13
September 27	Nevada*		Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 31–13
October 11	at Central Michigan		Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI		W 41–10
October 18	Northern Illinois		Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 41–14	22,183
October 25	at Bowling Green	No. 24	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75 Trophy)		W 35–20
November 1	Miami (OH)	No. 22	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 35–28
November 8	at Ball State	No. 18	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN		L 3–35
November 15	Akron		Glass Bowl Toledo, OH		W 42–10
November 22	at UCF*		Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL		L 17–34	15,062
December 5	at Marshall		Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (MAC Championship Game)	ESPN2	L 14–34	28,021
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	24	22	18	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	20	—	—	—	—	—	—

Roster

1997 Toledo Rockets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 82 Mike Amrozowicz  Fr C 53 James Bates Sr QB 17 Dan Cole  Fr C 79 Andy Comer So HB 6 Ray Curry Jr WR 12 Romain Davis Sr LB 44 Romules Durant Jr WR 4 Christopher Hall  Sr RB 32 Kevin Kidd Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 15 Derrick Beckwith Jr CB 31 Jason Bennett  Fr CB 22 Fabian Burke Fr CB 11 Kelly Herndon Jr CB 4 Chris Holifield Sr CB 42 Maurice Jefferson Jr DT 91 Joey Jones Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Gary Pinkel Coordinators/assistant coaches Dave Christensen – Offensive coordinator & offensive line David Yost – Quarterbacks and recruiting coordinator Brian Jones – Running backs Cornell Ford – Wide receivers Bruce Walker – Tight end Tom Amstutz – Defensive coordinator Craig Kuligowski – Defensive line Matt Eberflus – outside linebackers Phil Parker – Defensive backs Grant Elmquist – Graduate assistant Dan Murphy – Graduate assistant Jim Carmon – Graduate assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: December 5, 2023

After the season

NFL Draft

The following Rocket was selected in the 1998 NFL draft following the season.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
4	116	Clarence Love	Defensive back	Philadelphia Eagles