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1997 Air Force Falcons football team

1997 Air Force Falcons football
Las Vegas Bowl, L 13–41 vs. Oregon
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionPacific Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 25
Record10–3 (6–2 WAC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeWishbone triple option
Co-defensive coordinators
Base defense3–4
Captains
Home stadiumFalcon Stadium
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
New Mexico x   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Rice   5 – 3     7 – 4  
SMU   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Utah   5 – 3     6 – 5  
BYU   4 – 4     6 – 5  
UTEP   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Tulsa   2 – 6     2 – 9  
TCU   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$   7 – 1     11 – 2  
Air Force   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Fresno State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Wyoming   4 – 4     7 – 6  
San Diego State   4 – 4     5 – 7  
San Jose State   4 – 4     4 – 7  
UNLV   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Hawaii   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second the WAC's Pacific Division. Air Force was invited to the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Falcons lost to Oregon. The team played home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 302:00 p.m.Idaho*
W 14–1041,331[1]
September 6at Rice
W 41–12
September 13UNLV
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
W 25–2439,027
September 20at No. 23 Colorado State
W 24–034,071
September 27San Diego State
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
ESPN2W 24–18 OT48,399
October 4The Citadel*No. 23
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
W 17–342,536[2]
October 11at Navy*No. 19
W 10–7
October 18Fresno StateNo. 18
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
L 17–2045,597
October 25at San Jose State
ESPN2L 22–25
November 111:05 p.m.at Hawaii
W 34–2729,850
November 8Army*
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)
W 24–0
November 15Wyoming
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
W 14–3
December 204:00 p.m.vs. Oregon*No. 23
ESPN2L 13–4121,514

[3][4]

Rankings

[edit]
See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP——————231918—————242323—
Coaches————2523181724————23212125

Roster

[edit]
1997 Air Force Falcons football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
Sr 67 Rob Evert Sr
OT 68 Karl Faulk Sr
WR 6 Matt Farmer So
FAL 8 J. T. Felton So
QB 14 John Flynn Jr
OL 74 Frank Mindrup Jr
OT 78 Troy Monson So
QB 11 Blane Morgan Jr
WR 9 Dylan Newman Jr
OT 79 James Norman So
QB 15 Stephen O'Neill So
FB 33 Ryan Paroda Jr
C 52 Jeff Parr Sr
C 50 Brian Phillips Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
OLB 56 Steve Fernandez Sr
OLB 91 Sean Finnan Sr
DT 78 Bryce Fisher Jr
LB 51 Chris Gizzi Sr
LB 99 Michael Yanovitch So
LB 54 C. J. Zanotti So
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 1997-10-25

Awards and honors

[edit]
  • Frank Mindrup, first-team All-WAC

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Page, Steve (August 31, 1997). "Tough loss leaves Idaho hurting". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  2. ^ "Smith's big day carries Air Force". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "1997 Air Force Falcons Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "1997 Football Schedule". United States Air Force Academy. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
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