1997 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1997 San Diego State Aztecs football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionPacific Division
Record5–7 (4–4 WAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Lay (5th season)
Defensive coordinatorClaude Gilbert (7th as DC, 15th overall season)
Home stadiumJack Murphy Stadium
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
New Mexico x   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Rice   5 – 3     7 – 4  
SMU   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Utah   5 – 3     6 – 5  
BYU   4 – 4     6 – 5  
UTEP   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Tulsa   2 – 6     2 – 9  
TCU   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$   7 – 1     11 – 2  
Air Force   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Fresno State   5 – 3     6 – 6  
Wyoming   4 – 4     7 – 6  
San Diego State   4 – 4     5 – 7  
San Jose State   4 – 4     4 – 7  
UNLV   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Hawaii   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The team was led by head coach Ted Tollner, in his third year. They played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. They completed the season with a record of five wins, seven losses (5–7, 4–4 WAC).

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 5Navy*
Fox WestW 45–3121,176
September 13at No. 3 Washington*
Fox WestL 3–3671,081
September 20at Wisconsin*
L 10–3876,864
September 27at No. 25 Air Force
ESPN2L 18–24 OT48,399
October 4at Arizona*
Fox WestL 28–3139,195
October 11New Mexico
  • Jack Murphy Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
L 21–3628,732
October 18UNLV
  • Jack Murphy Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
W 20–17 OT24,628
October 25at Hawaii
Cox 4W 10–329,342
November 1at Wyoming
Cox 4L 17–4115,157
November 8San Jose State
  • Jack Murphy Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
Cox 4W 48–2129,869
November 15at Fresno State
Cox 4W 20–1934,195
November 22No. 25 Colorado State
  • Jack Murphy Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
ESPNL 17–3825,704
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1998 NFL draft.

Player Position Round Overall NFL Team
Kyle Turley Tackle - Guard 1 7 New Orleans Saints
Az-Zahir Hakim Wide Receiver 4 96 St. Louis Rams
Ephraim Salaam Tackle 7 199 Atlanta Falcons

The following finished their college career in 1997, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.

Player Position First NFL Team
Jason Moore Defensive Back 1999 Denver Broncos
Justin Watson Running Back 1999 St. Louis Rams

Team awards

Award Player
Most Valuable Player
(John Simcox Memorial Trophy)		 Kyle Turley
Outstanding Players
(Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)		 Kyle Turley, OT
Jonas Lewis, RB
Az-Zahir Hakim, WR
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE
Rico Curtis, SS
Andy Osbourne, LB
Team captains
Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy		 Kyle Turley, Off
Andy Osbourne, Def
Julius McChristian, Def
Most Inspirational Player Julius McChristian

Notes

  1. ^ San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 through 1997.

References

  1. ^ "San Diego State 1997 Schedule". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  3. ^ "1998 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.