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1997 Toledo Rockets football team

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1997 Toledo Rockets football
MAC West Division champion
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record9–3 (7–1 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Christensen (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorTom Amstutz (4th season)
Home stadiumGlass Bowl
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
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 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.

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.[1]

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 6Purdue*W 36–2227,700
September 13Eastern Michigan
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 38–35
September 20at Western MichiganW 23–13
September 27Nevada*
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 31–13
October 11at Central MichiganW 41–10
October 18Northern Illinois
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 41–1422,183
October 25at Bowling GreenNo. 24W 35–20
November 1Miami (OH)No. 22
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 35–28
November 8at Ball StateNo. 18L 3–35
November 15Akron
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 42–10
November 22at UCF*L 17–3415,062
December 5at MarshallESPN2L 14–3428,021
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2]

Rankings

[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP242218
Coaches2320

Roster

[edit]
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
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Dave ChristensenOffensive coordinator & offensive line
  • David Yost – Quarterbacks and recruiting coordinator
  • Brian Jones – Running backs
  • Cornell Ford – Wide receivers
  • Bruce Walker – Tight end
  • Tom AmstutzDefensive coordinator
  • Craig Kuligowski – Defensive line
  • Matt Eberflusoutside linebackers
  • Phil ParkerDefensive backs
  • Grant Elmquist – Graduate assistant
  • Dan Murphy – Graduate assistant
  • Jim Carmon – Graduate assistant

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 5, 2023

After the season

[edit]

NFL Draft

[edit]

The following Rocket was selected in the 1998 NFL draft following the season.[3]

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


References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1997 Toledo Rockets Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  2. ^ "1997 Toledo Rockets Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  3. ^ "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.