The 1997 Penn Quakers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pennsylvania during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Penn finished last in the Ivy League after forfeiting five wins.
| 1997 Penn Quakers football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Record | 1–9 (0–7 Ivy) |
| Head coach |
|
| Defensive coordinator | Mike Toop (6th season) |
| Captain | John Bishop |
| Home stadium | Franklin Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harvard $ | 7 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dartmouth | 6 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cornell | 4 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Princeton | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbia | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yale | 1 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn * | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background edit
During its sixth year under head coach Al Bagnoli, the Quakers outscored opponents 250 to 113 and compiled a 6–4 record on the field. It later forfeited five victories, however, yielding a final record of 1–9.[1]
John Bishop was the team captain.[2]
Penn agreed to forfeit all of its Ivy League wins after an internal investigation showed that All-Ivy defensive tackle Mitch Marrow had not been a full-time student during the football season, and was thus ineligible to play on the team. The decision was announced in early January 1998, a month and a half after the season ended.[3]
This decision had a profound impact on the league standings. Penn had gone 5–2 against Ivy competition, outscoring its conference rivals 149 to 117. At season's end, Penn was reported as the third-place team. After the forfeits, record books show Penn with an 0–7 league record, finishing in last place.[4]
Penn played its home games at Franklin Field on the university's campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | Dartmouth | L 15–23 | 11,123 | [5] | |||
| September 27 | at Bucknell* | L 16–20 | 10,172 | [6] | |||
| October 4 | Towson* |
| W 26–14 | 6,806 | [7] | ||
| October 11 | at Lehigh* | L 7–24 | 10,111 | [8] | |||
| October 18 | at Columbia | L 24–7 ^ | 3,909 | [9][3] | |||
| October 25 | Brown |
| L 31–10 ^ | 12,237 | [10][3] | ||
| November 1 | at Yale | L 26–7 ^ | 3,600 | [11][3] | |||
| November 8 | Princeton |
| L 20–17 ^ | 15,847 | [12][3] | ||
| November 15 | at Harvard | L 0–33 | 5,452 | [13] | |||
| November 22 | Cornell |
| L 33–20 ^ | 5,918 | [14][3] | ||
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References edit
- ^ "Football Fact Book: All-Time Year-by-Year". Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania. p. 159. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Football Fact Book: All-Time Team Captains". Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania. p. 98. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Moran, Edward (January 3, 1998). "Penn Forfeits 5 Wins in Marrow Case". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 37. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (September 21, 1997). "Turnovers Plague Quakers in 23-15 Loss to Dartmouth". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (September 28, 1997). "The Frustration Mounts as Penn Falls to Bucknell". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jensen, Mike (October 5, 1997). "Quakers Halt Rally and Win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blockus, Gary R. (October 12, 1997). "Stambaugh, Abdullah Steer Lehigh Past Penn". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rosenberg, Michael (October 19, 1997). "Finn Just Fine in Penn's Victory". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jensen, Mike (October 26, 1997). "Sophomore's Big Catches Lead Penn Past Brown". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Yantz, Tom (November 2, 1997). "Yale in a Tough Spot: Can't Stop Penn's Finn; Quarterback Walland Injured". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. E11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (November 26, 1997). "Penn Ices Princeton with Late Field Goal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jensen, Mike (November 16, 1997). "Harvard Jumps All Over Quakers, 33-0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ford, Bob (November 23, 1997). "Playing for Pride, Penn Tops Cornell". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.