1997 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1997 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record0–11 (0–8 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBuddy Teevens (1st season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorTim Kish (1st season)
Base defense4–3
MVPRobert Holcombe
Captains
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1997 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Michigan $   8 – 0     12 – 0  
No. 12 Ohio State   6 – 2     10 – 3  
No. 16 Penn State   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 15 Purdue   6 – 2     9 – 3  
Wisconsin   5 – 3     8 – 5  
Iowa   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Michigan State   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Northwestern   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Minnesota   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Indiana   1 – 7     2 – 9  
Illinois   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Ron Turner, the Fighting Illini compiled a 0–11 record (0–8 in conference games), finished last out of eleven teams in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 368 to 119.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Mark Hokestra (1,029 passing yards), running back Robert Holcombe (1,253 rushing yards, 36 points scored) and wide receiver Lenny Willis (465 receiving yards).[2]

As of 2024, the 1997 Illinois team was the last Big Ten football team that failed to register a single win.

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 66:00 pmSouthern Miss*
ESPN2L 7–2444,519
September 132:30 pmat Louisville*
CBSL 13–2636,824
September 2011:30 amNo. 19 Washington State*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
ESPN2L 22–3547,131
September 2711:30 amat No. 11 Iowa
ESPN2L 10–3870,397
October 411:30 amNo. 2 Penn State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
ESPN2L 6–4151,523
October 1111:00 amat Wisconsin
ESPN PlisL 7–3179,327
October 251:00 pmNo. 22 Purdue
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 3–4845,122
November 11:00 pmat Indiana
L 6–2332,705
November 811:00 amNorthwestern
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
ESPN PlusL 21–3441,195
November 1511:00 amat No. 4 Ohio State
ESPN PlusL 6–4192,008
November 221:00 pmMichigan State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 17–2730,087
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[3]

References

  1. ^ "1997 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "1997 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  3. ^ "fightingillini.com". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
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