The 1997 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Mike Dunbar, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, and finished second in the Gateway.
| 1997 Northern Iowa Panthers football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Gateway Football Conference |
| Record | 7–4 (5–1 Gateway) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | UNI-Dome |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Western Illinois $^ | 6 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Youngstown State ^ | 4 | – | 2 | 13 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 3 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 2 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 1 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 0 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | at No. 20 (I-A) Iowa* | No. 4 | L 0–66 | 66,325 | [1] | |
| September 13 | Mankato State* | No. 13 | W 39–15 | [2] | ||
| September 20 | at No. 16 McNeese State* | No. 12 | L 5–22 | 11,627 | [3] | |
| September 27 | Southern Illinois | No. 23 |
| W 28–27 | 12,829 | [4] |
| October 4 | at Illinois State | No. 23 | W 50–34 | [5] | ||
| October 11 | at No. 5 Western Illinois | No. 17 | L 22–29 2OT | 13,446 | [6] | |
| October 18 | No. 1 Youngstown State | No. 24 |
| W 35–32 | 12,218 | [7] |
| October 25 | at Cal Poly* | No. 17 | L 24–38 | 8,427 | [8] | |
| November 1 | at Southwest Missouri State | W 23–22 | [9] | |||
| November 8 | Southern Utah* |
| W 53–33 | [10] | ||
| November 15 | Indiana State |
| W 29–21 3OT | [11] | ||
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References
edit- ↑ "Iowa goes to Banks, cashes in 66 points". Omaha World-Herald. September 7, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "UNI whips Mankato". The Daily Nonpareil. September 14, 1996. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "No. 13 UNI upset on road". The Des Moines Register. September 21, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ McCool, Dan (September 28, 1997). "Panthers hang on in final minute". The Des Moines Register. p. 8D. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Panthers erupt for 50–34 win". The Courier. October 5, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "2 OTs: UNI stumbles". The Des Moines Register. Associated Press. October 12, 1997. p. 6D. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "UNI streak at 25". The Globe-Gazette. October 19, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Flat' Panthers flattened some more by talented Cal Poly". The Gazette. October 26, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Fortney, Northern Iowa outlast Bears in Gateway thriller". The Des Moines Register. November 2, 1997. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Fortney paces Panthers". The Daily Nonpareil. November 9, 1996. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Panthers win in 3 overtimes". Quad-City Times. November 16, 1996. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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