1997 Arizona Wildcats football team

1997 Arizona Wildcats football
Insight.com Bowl champion
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record7–5 (4–4 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorRich Ellerson (1st season)
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
(Capacity: 57,803)
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
1997 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 Washington State +   7 1     10 2  
No. 5 UCLA +   7 1     10 2  
No. 14 Arizona State   6 2     9 3  
No. 18 Washington   5 3     8 4  
Arizona   4 4     7 5  
USC   4 4     6 5  
Oregon   3 5     7 5  
Stanford   3 5     5 6  
California   1 7     3 8  
Oregon State   0 8     3 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by head coach Dick Tomey in his eleventh season at Arizona, the Wildcats compiled a 7–5 record (4–4 against Pac-10 opponents) and won the Insight Bowl against New Mexico, and old rival of Arizona. Coincidentally, the bowl game was played at the Wildcats’ home field, Arizona Stadium. It was the first time that Arizona played a bowl game at their home stadium since 1989, when the Wildcats won the Copper Bowl.[1]

The season was mostly overshadowed by the success of the Wildcats’ basketball team after winning the national championship earlier in the year, though the football program rebounded and ended the year on a winning streak and reaching the postseason, which led to playing their bowl game at home.[2]

  1. ^ "Cats getting home cooking for bowl game". Arizona Daily Star. December 12, 1997.
  2. ^ "Wildcat football finishes regular season on winning note despite being in basketball's shadow". Tucson Citizen. November 30, 1997.