The 1997 Toronto Argonauts season was the 108th season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in first place in the East Division with a 15–3 record and qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The defending champion Argonauts defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final and qualified for the 85th Grey Cup to defend their title. Toronto defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 47–23, winning their 14th Grey Cup championship, and repeated as Grey Cup champions.
| 1997 Toronto Argonauts season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General manager | Eric Tillman |
| Head coach | Don Matthews[1] |
| Home field | SkyDome[2] |
| Results | |
| Record | 15–3 |
| Division place | 1st, East |
| Playoff finish | Won Grey Cup |
Offseason
editCFL draft
edit| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 1 | Chad Folk | OL | Utah |
| 1 | 9 | Mathew DuBuc | SB | Texas Tech |
| 2 | 17 | Steve Salter | OL | Ottawa |
| 3 | 18 | Aldi Henry | CB | Michigan State |
| 3 | 24 | Dave Mudge | OT | Michigan State |
| 4 | 33 | Jayson Hansen | OL | Texas Tech |
| 5 | 41 | Mark Giardetti | DE | Evangel College |
| 6 | 48 | Kris Kershaw | QB | Salisbury State |
Ottawa Rough Riders Dispersal Draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Sammie Brennan | DB |
| 2 | 17 | Travis Anderson | WR |
| 3 | 25 | Joe Mero | CB |
Preseason
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Location | Final score | Attendance | Record |
| A | June 13 | Tiger-Cats | SkyDome | W 18 – 14 | 13,452 | 1–0 |
| B | June 18 | @ Alouettes | Olympic Stadium | W 40 – 0 | 6,394 | 2–0 |
Regular season
editSeason standings
edit| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 660 | 327 | 30 |
| Montreal Alouettes | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 509 | 532 | 26 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 443 | 548 | 8 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 362 | 549 | 4 |
Regular season
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Location | Final score | Attendance | Record |
| 1 | June 27 | Blue Bombers | SkyDome | W 38 – 23 | 16,551 | 1–0 |
| 2 | July 6 | @ Tiger-Cats | Ivor Wynne Stadium | W 20 – 15 | 14,033 | 2–0 |
| 3 | July 12 | @ Roughriders | Taylor Field | L 27 – 23 | 22,956 | 2–1 |
| 4 | July 17 | Tiger-Cats | SkyDome | W 27 – 20 | 17,222 | 3–1 |
| 5 | July 24 | @ Lions | BC Place Stadium | W 34 – 20 | 23,330 | 4–1 |
| 6 | July 31 | Alouettes | SkyDome | W 46 – 8 | 16,213 | 5–1 |
| 7 | August 7 | @ Stampeders | McMahon Stadium | L 45 – 35 | 25,311 | 5–2 |
| 8 | August 14 | Eskimos | SkyDome | W 38 – 14 | 18,031 | 6–2 |
| 9 | August 21 | Roughriders | SkyDome | W 27 – 1 | 17,330 | 7–2 |
| 10 | September 1 | @ Tiger-Cats | Ivor Wynne Stadium | W 46 – 3 | 18,377 | 8–2 |
| 11 | September 7 | @ Blue Bombers | Canad Inns Stadium | W 66 – 25 | 21,080 | 9–2 |
| 12 | September 14 | Tiger-Cats | SkyDome | W 34 – 9 | 20,234 | 10–2 |
| 13 | September 20 | @ Eskimos | Commonwealth Stadium | W 25 – 24 | 38,619 | 11–2 |
| 14 | September 28 | @ Blue Bombers | Canad Inns Stadium | W 41 – 9 | 20,004 | 12–2 |
| 15 | October 4 | Lions | SkyDome | W 46 – 3 | 17,019 | 13–2 |
| 16 | October 11 | Alouettes | SkyDome | W 28 – 21 | 17,355 | 14–2 |
| 17 | October 18 | Stampeders | SkyDome | W 48 – 17 | 24,083 | 15–2 |
| 18 | October 26 | @ Alouettes | Olympic Stadium | L 43 – 38 | 10,801 | 15–3 |
Postseason
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Location | Final score | Attendance |
| East Final | November 9 | Alouettes | SkyDome | W 37–30 | 32,085 |
| Grey Cup | November 16 | Roughriders | Commonwealth Stadium | W 47–23 | 60,431 |
Grey Cup
edit| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts | 7 | 13 | 21 | 6 | 47 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 3 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 23 |
Awards and records
edit- Doug Flutie, Most Outstanding Player Award[7]
- Mike Kiselak, Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award [8]
- Derrell Mitchell, Outstanding Rookie Award[9]
1997 CFL All-Stars
edit- QB – Doug Flutie
- FB – Robert Drummond
- SB – Derrell Mitchell
- C – Mike Kiselak
- DT – Rob Waldrop
- DB – Johnnie Harris
- DS – Lester Smith
- P/K – Mike Vanderjagt
- ST – Mike "Pinball" Clemons
- WR – {Terrance Lawrence}
References
edit- ^ "All-Time Coaching". Toronto Argonauts. Archived from the original on 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "Toronto Argonauts Stadium History". Toronto Argonauts. Archived from the original on 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "All-Time Draft List". Toronto Argonauts. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ a b c "1997 Toronto Argonauts". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "1997 Regular Season Standings". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "1997 – Toronto Argonauts 47, Saskatchewan Roughriders 23". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "Most Outstanding Player". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ "Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ "Most Outstanding Rookie". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ a b 2010 Toronto Argonauts Media Guide (PDF). Toronto Argonauts. 2010. p. 168. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-07.