| Year: | 1897 |
| Team: | Harvard Crimson |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Independent |
| Record: | 10–1–1 |
| Head Coach: | William Cameron Forbes |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | Norman Cabot |
| Stadium: | Soldiers' Field |
The 1897 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 1897 college football season. The Crimson finished with a 10–1–1 record and shut out 10 of 12 opponents under first-year head coach William Cameron Forbes, who later served as Governor-General of the Philippines (1908–13) and Ambassador of the United States to Japan (1930–32). The 1897 team won its first ten games by a combined 227-5 score. It then closed the season playing to a scoreless tie with Yale and losing by a 15-6 score against Penn.[1] [2]
Two Harvard players received consensus honors on the 1897 College Football All-America Team: center Allan Doucette and halfback Benjamin Dibblee. Other notable players on Harvard's 1897 team included end Norman Cabot and tackle Malcolm Donald.