The 1997 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

during the

1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season The 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1997, and concluded with the 1997 NCAA Divisi ...

. Colgate won the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

championship. In its second season under head coach

Dick Biddle Richard L. Biddle (born November 26, 1947) is a former American football player and coach. He served as head football coach at Colgate University from 1996 through 2013, compiling a record of 137–73. This ranks him first at Colgate in terms o ...

, the team compiled a 7–5 record. Tim Girard, Blair Hicks and Dan Rivera were the team captains. The Red Raiders outscored opponents 414 to 300. Colgate was undefeated in league play to win its first conference championship. Because of the addition of

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

to the league schedule, Colgate became the first Patriot League member to win six conference games in a year. The team played its home games at

Andy Kerr Stadium Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium is a 10,221-seat multi-purpose stadium in Hamilton, New York, United States. It is the home of Colgate University's football and men's lacrosse teams. Colgate opened the stadium in 1939, originally as Colgate Ath ...

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

Schedule

References

{{1997 Division I-AA football playoff navbox Colgate Colgate Raiders football seasons Patriot League football champion seasons

Colgate Red Raiders football The Colgate Raiders football team represents Colgate University in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football competition as a member of the Patriot League. History In 1915, Colgate recorded its 100th victory with ...