The 1997 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Holy Cross tied for second-to-last in the Patriot League.

In their second year under head coach Dan Allen, the Crusaders compiled a 4–7 record. Dominic Blue and Jeff Laboranti were the team captains.^[1]

The Crusaders were outscored 308 to 182. Holy Cross' 2–4 conference record placed it in a three-way tie for fourth in the seven-team Patriot League standings.^[2]

The team's claimed 4–7 and 2–4 records count the season-opening Towson matchup as a Holy Cross win by forfeit, as Towson agreed in October 1997 that it had used an academically ineligible player in that game.^[3]

Holy Cross played its home games at Fitton Field on the college campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Towson	Minnegan Stadium Towson, MD	W 7–27‡	2,000	[4][3]
September 20	Georgetown*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 25–21	5,827	[5]
September 27	Dartmouth*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 6–35	3,000	[6]
October 4	Princeton*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 7–21	8,542	[7]
October 11	at Columbia*	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 45–16	3,335	[8]
October 18	at Harvard*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 24–52	7,094	[9]
October 25	at Bucknell	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 6–18	7,872	[10]
November 1	Colgate^	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 7–42	2,826	[11]
November 8	at Lehigh	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 20–14	4,865	[12]
November 15	Lafayette	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 23–34	1,105	[13]
November 22	Fordham	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	L 12–28	725	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming ^ Family Weekend • ‡ Towson forfeit