| Year: | 1997 |
| Team: | Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Division: | Mid-Atlantic Division |
| Short Conf: | A-10 |
| Tsnrank: | 3 |
| Record: | 12–2 |
| Conf Record: | 7–1 |
| Head Coach: | Tubby Raymond |
| Hc Year: | 32nd |
| Off Coach: | Ted Kempski |
| Oc Year: | 30th |
| Off Scheme: | Delaware Wing-T |
| Def Coach: | Bob Sabol |
| Dc Year: | 7th |
| Stadium: | Delaware Stadium |
| Champion: | Lambert Cup |
| Bowl: | NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal |
| Bowl Result: | L 21–23 vs. McNeese State |
The 1997 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 32nd-year head coach Tubby Raymond, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the A-10's Mid-Atlantic Division. For the sixth time in seven sessions, Delaware advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the Fightin' Blue Hens beat in the first round and Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual national runner-up, McNeese State, in the semifinals. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.