1997 Philadelphia Eagles season

NFL team season December 2013 March 2026 Philadelphia Eagles 1997 6–9–1 3rd NFC East Ray Rhodes Jon Gruden Emmitt Thomas Jeffrey Lurie Veterans Stadium Did not qualify WR Irving Fryar Eagles seasons The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 65th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–6, going only 6–9–1 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. This was the season where the team was sponsored by the "Starters" brand. Lowlights of the 1997 campaign include a disheartening one-point loss at Dallas in week 3, where starter Ty Detmer led the Birds on a potential game-winning drive late in regulation, only to see holder Tommy Hutton botch the hold on what would have been the deciding field goal from ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol. In Week 7, the Eagles lost their first-ever game against the three-season-old Jacksonville Jaguars, and on November 10, in a Monday Night Football 24–12 home loss against San Francisco, a fan was spotted firing a flare gun in the upper deck. Six days later, at Memorial Stadium, the Eagles and Ravens engaged in a 10–10 tie. This was Eagles' first tie since 1986 against the Cardinals. One bright spot during the year came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when second-year Bobby Hoying stepped in under center and threw for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44–42 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. The 1997 campaign was notable in that it ended a 13-year radio partnership between broadcasters Merrill Reese and former Eagle Stan Walters on 94 WIP. Mike Quick became the color commentator the following season. Offseason NFL draft 1997 NFL draft 1997 Philadelphia Eagles draft Round Selection Player Position College 1 25 Jon Harris DE Virginia 2 57 James Darling LB Washington State 3 71 Duce Staley RB South Carolina 4 119 Damien Robinson FS Iowa 5 152 N. D. Kalu DE Rice 155 Luther Broughton TE Furman 6 190 Antwuan Wyatt WR Bethune-Cookman 198 Ed Jasper DT Texas A&M 7 207 Koy Detmer QB Colorado 225 Byron Capers DB Florida State 227 Deauntae Brown DB Central State (OH) Staff 1997 Philadelphia Eagles Owner/chief executive officer – Jeffrey Lurie Executive vice-president – Joe Banner Director of football operations – Dick Daniels Head coach – Ray Rhodes Offensive coordinator – Jon Gruden Quarterbacks – Sean Payton Running backs – Ted Williams Wide receivers – Gerald Carr Tight ends – Juan Castillo Offensive line – Bill Callahan Quality control – David Shaw Defensive coordinator – Emmitt Thomas Defensive line – Mike Trgovac Linebackers – Joe Vitt Defensive backs – Danny Smith Defensive assistant – Chuck Knox Jr. Special teams – Joe Wessel Strength and conditioning – Mike Wolf Assistant strength and conditioning – Tom Kanavy Volunteer strength and conditioning – Kevin Tolbert Roster 1997 Philadelphia Eagles 14 Ty Detmer  7 Bobby Hoying  9 Rodney Peete 30 Charlie Garner 28 Mel Gray return specialist PR 22 Duce Staley y KR 34 Kevin Turner running back FB 32 Ricky Watters 86 Russell Copeland 80 Irving Fryar 82 Chris T. Jones 84 Freddie Solomon PR 83 Michael Timpson 87 Jason Dunn American football 88 Jimmie Johnson American football 89 Chad Lewis 62 Ian Beckles G 76 Barrett Brooks T 73 Jerry Crafts G 75 Troy Drake T 61 Steve Everitt C 64 Sean Love G 71 Jermane Mayberry T 65 Bubba Miller C/G 72 Joe Panos G 95 Richard Dent DE 97 Rhett Hall DT 90 Jon Harris American football y DE 74 Ed Jasper y DT 79 Greg Jefferson DE 98 Jimmie Jones DT 53 N. D. Kalu y DE 59 Mike Mamula DE 78 Hollis Thomas DT 96 Al Wallace y DE 93 Darion Conner OLB 57 James Darling American football y OLB 55 Ray Farmer OLB 58 DeShawn Fogle y OLB 54 Jeff Herrod MLB 51 William Thomas linebacker OLB 50 James Willis American football MLB 25 Willie Clark American football CB 20 Brian Dawkins FS 38 Charles Dimry CB 43 Randy Kinder CB 24 Tim McTyer y CB 45 Matt Stevens safety SS 23 Troy Vincent CB 36 Mike Zordich SS 18 Chris Boniol K  4 Tom Hutton American football P 68 Morris Unutoa LS 77 Richard Cooper American football T IR 10 Koy Detmer y QB IR 47 Charles Emanuel y S IR 46 Fred Ford defensive back CB IR 48 Andre President TE IR 56 Darrin Smith LB IR 21 Bobby Taylor American football CB IR 39 Corey Walker y RB IR 85 Antwuan Wyatt y WR IR 53 active, 9 inactive, 2 practice squad 63 Patrick Augafa y C 26 Anthony Rice y CB Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance 1 August 31, 1997 at New York Giants L 31–17 0–1 77,344 2 September 7, 1997 Green Bay Packers W 10–9 1–1 66,803 3 September 15, 1997 at Dallas Cowboys L 21–20 1–2 63,942 4 Bye 5 September 28, 1997 at Minnesota Vikings L 28–19 1–3 55,149 6 October 5, 1997 Washington Redskins W 24–10 2–3 67,008 7 October 12, 1997 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 38–21 2–4 69,150 8 October 19, 1997 Arizona Cardinals W 13–10 (OT) 3–4 66,860 9 October 26, 1997 Dallas Cowboys W 13–12 4–4 67,106 10 November 2, 1997 at Arizona Cardinals L 31–21 4–5 39,549 11 November 10, 1997 San Francisco 49ers L 24–12 4–6 67,133 12 November 16, 1997 at Baltimore Ravens T 10–10 (OT) 4–6–1 63,546 13 November 23, 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–20 5–6–1 67,166 14 November 30, 1997 Cincinnati Bengals W 44–42 6–6–1 66,623 15 December 7, 1997 New York Giants L 31–21 6–7–1 67,084 16 December 14, 1997 at Atlanta Falcons L 20–17 6–8–1 42,866 17 December 21, 1997 at Washington Redskins L 35–32 6–9–1 75,939 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings References External links 1997 Philadelphia Eagles at Pro-Football-Reference.com Category:Philadelphia Eagles seasons Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles