1997 Maine Black Bears football team

1997 Maine Black Bears football
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Division	New England Division
Record	5–6 (4–4 A-10)
Head coach	Jack Cosgrove (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Gilbert (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Neil McGrath (3rd season)
Captains	Derek Carter John Tennett
Home stadium	Alfond Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
New England Division
New Hampshire x		5	–	3					5	–	6
Connecticut		4	–	4					7	–	4
Maine		4	–	4					5	–	6
Rhode Island		2	–	6					2	–	9
Boston University		1	–	7					1	–	10
UMass		1	–	7					2	–	9
Mid-Atlantic Division
No. 1 Villanova x$^		8	–	0					12	–	1
No. 3 Delaware ^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 20 Northeastern		5	–	3					8	–	3
Richmond		4	–	4					6	–	5
William & Mary		4	–	4					7	–	4
James Madison		3	–	5					5	–	6
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 Maine Black Bears football team represented the University of Maine in the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They played their home games at Alumni Stadium as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jack Cosgrove. The Black Bears finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in conference play, to finish tied for second in the New England Division.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Rhode Island	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	W 30–14	4,670	[1]
September 13	UMass	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME	W 49–6	4,363	[2]
September 20	at No. 10 Villanova	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	L 14–34		[3]
September 27	No. 25 James Madison	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME	L 22–24	5,220	[4]
October 4	at Richmond	UR Stadium Richmond, VA	L 14–17	10,204	[5]
October 11	No. 24 Connecticut	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME	W 49–47 3OT
October 18	Boston University	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME	W 62–29
October 25	at New Hampshire	Cowell Stadium Durham, NH (Battle for the Brice–Cowell Musket)	L 7–24
November 8	at Buffalo *	University at Buffalo Stadium Buffalo, NY	W 52–13
November 15	at No. 24 Northeastern *	Parsons Field Brookline, MA	L 17–23
November 22	at No. 17 Hofstra *	Hofstra Stadium Hempstead, NY	L 32–44
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[6]

References

1. "UMaine trips up Rams". The Bangor Daily News . September 8, 1997. p. 21. Retrieved April 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Fein's passing powers Bears past Minutemen". The Bangor Daily News. September 15, 1997. p. 15. Retrieved April 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Villanova lights up UMaine". The Bangor Daily News. September 22, 1997. p. 19. Retrieved April 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "JMU bolts door". Bangor Daily News. September 29, 1997. Retrieved October 24, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Maine loses again". Maine Sunday Telegram. October 5, 1997. Retrieved November 6, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "2019 Maine Football Media Guide" (PDF). Maine Black Bears Athletics. p. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.