1997 San Diego State Aztecs football team

American college football season

1997 San Diego State Aztecs football

Conference| Western Athletic Conference
Division| Pacific Division
Record| 5–7 (4–4 WAC)
Head coach|

* Ted Tollner (4th season)

Offensive coordinator| Dave Lay (5th season)
Defensive coordinator| Claude Gilbert (7th as DC, 15th overall season)
Home stadium| Jack Murphy Stadium

Seasons

<- 1996

1998 ->

1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| 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[note 1] in San Diego, California. They completed the season with a record of five wins, seven losses (5–7, 4–4 WAC).

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

|
|
|
|
|

September 5| Navy*|

* Jack Murphy Stadium
* San Diego, CA

| Fox West| W 45–31| 21,176
September 13| at No. 3 Washington*|

* Husky Stadium
* Seattle, WA

| Fox West| L 3–36| 71,081
September 20| at Wisconsin*|

* Camp Randall Stadium
* Madison, WI

| | L 10–38| 76,864
September 27| at No. 25 Air Force|

* Falcon Stadium
* Colorado Springs, CO

| ESPN2| L 18–24 OT| 48,399
October 4| at Arizona*|

* Arizona Stadium
* Tucson, AZ

| Fox West| L 28–31| 39,195
October 11| New Mexico|

* Jack Murphy Stadium
* San Diego, CA

| | L 21–36| 28,732
October 18| UNLV|

* Jack Murphy Stadium
* San Diego, CA

| | W 20–17 OT| 24,628
October 25| at Hawaii|

* Aloha Stadium
* Halawa, HI

| Cox 4| W 10–3| 29,342
November 1| at Wyoming|

* War Memorial Stadium
* Laramie, WY

| Cox 4| L 17–41| 15,157
November 8| San Jose State|

* Jack Murphy Stadium
* San Diego, CA

| Cox 4| W 48–21| 29,869
November 15| at Fresno State|

* Bulldog Stadium
* Fresno, CA (rivalry)

| Cox 4| W 20–19| 34,195
November 22| No. 25 Colorado State|

* Jack Murphy Stadium
* San Diego, CA

| ESPN| L 17–38| 25,704

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1][2]

## Team players in the NFL

[edit]

The following were selected in the 1998 NFL draft.[3]

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.[4]

Player  | Position  | First NFL Team

|
|

Jason Moore | Defensive Back | 1999 Denver Broncos
Justin Watson | Running Back | 1999 St. Louis Rams

## Team awards

[edit]

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

[2]

## Notes

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

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.

* v
* t
* e

San Diego State Aztecs football

Venues|

* College Field / Aztec Field (1921, 1923–1925, 1927–1928, 1934–1935)
* Navy "Sports" Field (1922, 1926, 1929–1931, 1933–1934)
* Balboa Stadium (1921–1925, 1927–1929, 1932, 1934–1935, 1940–1941, 1945–1947, alternate in several other seasons)
* Aztec Bowl (1936–1942, 1947–1966)
* San Diego Stadium (1967–2019)
* Dignity Health Sports Park (2020–2021)
* Snapdragon Stadium (2022–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Fresno State
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1921
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National championship seasons in bold
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number