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
1997 Mid-American Conference football standings
ConfOverall
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

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

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

Roster

1997 Toledo Rockets football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
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.#NameClass
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.#NameClass
Head coach
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 Injured
  • Redshirt 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.[3]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
4116Clarence LoveDefensive backPhiladelphia Eagles


References

  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.


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