The 1997 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their eighth and final year under head coach Steve Axman, the Lumberjacks compiled a 6–5 record (4–4 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 302 to 261, and tied for fourth place in the Big Sky.^[1]

The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The team's statistical leaders include Kino Carson with 1,099 rushing yards (including 200 yards vs. Cal State Northridge), Travis Brown with 3,395 passing yards, and Ricky Pearsall with 1,802 receiving yards.^[2]

After the season, NAU offered coach Axman a three-year contract at $82,000 per year. He rejected the deal and accepted a position as Minnesota's quarterbacks coach.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	at New Mexico*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	L 10–33	25,643	[4][5]
September 6	St. Cloud State*	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 33–10	9,761	[6][7]
September 20	Minnesota-Duluth*	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 40–6	7,013	[8][9]
September 27	Portland State	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 56–21	13,055	[10][11]
October 4	at Weber State	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	L 23–36	10,261	[12][13]
October 11	Montana State	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 14–13	9,247	[14][15]
October 18	at Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 48–25	3,020	[16][17]
October 25	Montana	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 27–24	15,417	[18][19]
November 1	at Idaho State	Pocatello, ID	L 24–41	4,722	[20]
November 8	Eastern Washington	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	L 14–31	12,093
November 22	at Cal State Northridge	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	L 13–21	4,329	[21]
*Non-conference game Homecoming