1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West
Record	4–7 (4–5 MAC)
Head coach	Rick Rasnick (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Sam Gruneisen (3rd season)
MVP	Charlie Batch
Captain	Charlie Batch, Jermaine Brooks, Lional Dalton, Savon Edwards
Home stadium	Rynearson Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
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 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Rick Rasnick, the Eagles compiled a 4–7 record (4–5 against conference opponents), finished in fourth place in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, and were outscored by their opponents, 352 to 329. ^{[1] [2]} The team's statistical leaders included Charlie Batch with 3,280 passing yards, Savon Edwards with 627 rushing yards, and Ta-if Kumasi with 710 receiving yards. ^[3] Batch went on to play 15 years in the National Football League.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Missouri *	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	L 24–44	52,514
September 13	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 35–38
September 20	Kent State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 38–41
September 27	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	W 31–24
October 4	Ohio	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 7–47
October 11	Ball State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 38–32
October 18	Akron *	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 45–0
October 25	at Marshall	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	L 25–48	21,474
November 1	Western Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 38–41
November 8	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 38–10	5,866
November 15	at UCF *	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 10–27	39,433	[4] [5] [6] [7]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

After the season

The following Eagle was selected in the 1998 NFL draft after the season. ^[8]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	60	Charlie Batch	Quarterback	Detroit Lions

References

1. "1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
2. "2015 Eastern Michigan Football Digital Media Guide" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 167, 170. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
3. "1997 Eastern Michigan Eagles Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
4. Greene, Jerry (November 16, 1997). "Knight roll, then rock (Part 1)". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 33. Retrieved February 28, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
5. Greene, Jerry (November 16, 1997). "Knight roll, then rock (Part 2)". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 38. Retrieved February 28, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
6. Storm, Stephanie (November 16, 1997). "Leister flexes some muscle for UCF". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 38. Retrieved February 28, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
7. "The Game Eastern Michigan vs. Central Florida". The Orlando Sentinel. November 16, 1997. p. 38. Retrieved February 28, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
8. "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.