1997 Penn Quakers football
ConferenceIvy League
Record1–9 (0–7 Ivy)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorMike Toop (6th season)
CaptainJohn Bishop
Home stadiumFranklin Field
1997 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
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  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * Standings reflect Penn's forfeit of five conference wins due to use of an ineligible player

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.

Background

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

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 20 Dartmouth
L 15–23 11,123 [5]
September 27 at Bucknell*
L 16–20 10,172 [6]
October 4 Towson*
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
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
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
L 31–10 ^ 12,237 [10][3]
November 1 at Yale
L 26–7 ^ 3,600 [11][3]
November 8 Princeton
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)
L 20–17 ^ 15,847 [12][3]
November 15 at Harvard
L 0–33 5,452 [13]
November 22 Cornell
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)
L 33–20 ^ 5,918 [14][3]
  • *Non-conference game
  • ^ Penn forfeit

References

  1. ↑ "Football Fact Book: All-Time Year-by-Year". Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania. p. 159. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Football Fact Book: All-Time Team Captains". Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania. p. 98. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Moran, Edward (January 3, 1998). "Penn Forfeits 5 Wins in Marrow Case". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 37. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ Juliano, Joe (September 21, 1997). "Turnovers Plague Quakers in 23-15 Loss to Dartmouth". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Juliano, Joe (September 28, 1997). "The Frustration Mounts as Penn Falls to Bucknell". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C15 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Jensen, Mike (October 5, 1997). "Quakers Halt Rally and Win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C10 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Blockus, Gary R. (October 12, 1997). "Stambaugh, Abdullah Steer Lehigh Past Penn". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Rosenberg, Michael (October 19, 1997). "Finn Just Fine in Penn's Victory". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Jensen, Mike (October 26, 1997). "Sophomore's Big Catches Lead Penn Past Brown". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Juliano, Joe (November 26, 1997). "Penn Ices Princeton with Late Field Goal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C10 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Jensen, Mike (November 16, 1997). "Harvard Jumps All Over Quakers, 33-0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Ford, Bob (November 23, 1997). "Playing for Pride, Penn Tops Cornell". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
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