1997 Memphis Tigers football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	4–7 (2–4 C-USA)
Head coach	Rip Scherer (3rd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Rusty Burns (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Dave Magazu (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Pletcher (3rd season)
Home stadium	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Conference USA football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 19 Southern Miss $	6	–	0	9	–	3
Tulane	5	–	1	7	–	4
East Carolina	4	–	2	5	–	6
Cincinnati	2	–	4	8	–	4
Memphis	2	–	4	4	–	7
Houston	2	–	4	3	–	8
Louisville	0	–	6	1	–	10

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Memphis competed as a member of Conference USA. The team was led by head coach Rip Scherer. The Tigers played their home games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	at Mississippi State*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 10–13	33,310
September 6	UAB*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 28–7	24,108	^[1]
September 13	at No. 21 Michigan State*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	L 21–51	72,131
September 20	Minnesota*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 17–20	23,208
October 4	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (rivalry)	L 17–20	19,511
October 11	Arkansas State*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Paint Bucket Bowl)	W 38–9	21,357
October 25	at East Carolina	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	L 10–32	28,029	^[2]
November 1	Houston	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 24–3	20,181
November 8	at Tulane	Superdome New Orleans, LA	L 14–26	23,494	^[3]
November 15	Louisville	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	W 21–20	15,234
November 22	Southern Miss	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Black and Blue Bowl)	L 18–42	17,243
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

^ "Tigers catch on, rip UAB". The Commercial Appeal. September 7, 1997. Retrieved December 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Memphis drilled by East Carolina". The Jackson Sun. October 26, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Wave crashes over Tigers". The Commercial Appeal. November 9, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'97 Review" (PDF). Memphis Athletics.

v t e Memphis Tigers football
Venues	Normal Field (1912–1916) Russwood Park (1912–1915, 1918–1920, 1922–1924) Hodges Field (1917, 1919, 1921–1923, 1926–1929) Memorial Field (1924–1936) Fairgrounds Stadium (1937) Crump Stadium (1937–1964) Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Arkansas State: Paint Bucket Bowl Cincinnati Louisville Ole Miss Southern Miss: Black and Blue Bowl UAB: Battle for the Bones
Culture & lore	Pouncer TOM (mascot) "Go Tigers Go" Mighty Sound of the South Miami Beach Brawl
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024