| 1997 Kerry Senior Football Championship | |
| Sponsor: | Allied Irish Bank |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Dates: | 24 July - 2 November 1997 |
| Champions: | East Kerry |
| Count: | 5 |
| Champions Captain: | John Crowley |
| Runners-Up: | Laune Rangers |
| Runners-Up Captain: | Tommy Byrne |
| Matches: | 20 |
| Goals: | 27 |
| Points: | 420 |
| Top Scorer: | Paud O'Donoghue (1-32) |
| Previous Year: | 1996 |
| Previous Tournament: | 1996 Kerry Senior Football Championship |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Next Tournament: | 1998 Kerry Senior Football Championship |
The 1997 Kerry Senior Football Championship was the 97th staging of the Kerry Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Kerry County Board in 1889.[1] The draw for the opening round fixtures took place on 27 February 1997. The championship ran from 24 July to 2 November 1997.
Laune Rangers entered the championship as the defending champions.[2] [3]
The final was played on 2 November 1997 at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, between East Kerry and Laune Rangers, in what was their first ever meeting in the final. East Kerry won the match by 1-11 to 0-08 to claim their fifth championship title overall and a first title in 27 years.[4] [5]
East Kerry's Paud O'Donoghue was the championship's top scorer with 1-32.
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paud O'Donoghue | East Kerry | 1-32 | 35 | 6 | 5.83 |
| 2 | Pa O'Sullivan | Laune Rangers | 0-26 | 26 | 5 | 5.20 |
| 3 | Dara Ó Cinnéide | West Kerry | 1-15 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
| 4 | Eoin Moynihan | Austin Stacks | 0-15 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 |
| 5 | Ian Twiss | Mid Kerry | 0-14 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 |
| 6 | John Kennedy | Shannon Rangers | 1-10 | 13 | 3 | 4.33 |
| 7 | Seán Geaney | West Kerry | 3-03 | 12 | 4 | 3.00 |
| Darren Aherne | Austin Stacks | 0-12 | 12 | 3 | 4.00 | |
| 9 | Jerry Murphy | East Kerry | 1-08 | 11 | 6 | 1.83 |
| 10 | Gary McGrath | Mid Kerry | 2-04 | 10 | 3 | 3.33 |
| Tom O'Connell | Mid Kerry | 0-10 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paud O'Donoghue | East Kerry | 0-10 | 10 | St. Brendan's |
| 2 | John Kennedy | Shannon Rangers | 1-05 | 8 | Killarney Legion |
| 3 | Paud O'Donoghue | East Kerry | 1-04 | 7 | Laune Rangers |
| Eoin Moynihan | Austin Stacks | 0-07 | 7 | East Kerry | |
| Darren Aherne | Austin Stacks | 0-07 | 7 | Feale Rangers | |
| Pa O'Sullivan | Laune Rangers | 0-07 | 7 | Kenmare | |
| Pa O'Sullivan | Laune Rangers | 0-07 | 7 | St. Kieran's | |
| 8 | Gary McGrath | Mid Kerry | 2-00 | 6 | Dr. Crokes |
| Seán Geaney | West Kerry | 2-00 | 6 | Laune Rangers | |
| Cathal O'Grady | Killarney Legion | 0-06 | 6 | Shannon Rangers | |
| Ian Twiss | Mid Kerry | 0-06 | 6 | Dr. Crokes | |
| Dara Ó Cinnéide | West Kerry | 0-06 | 6 | Castleisland Desmonds | |
| Ian Twiss | Mid Kerry | 0-06 | 6 | West Kerry | |
| Pa O'Sullivan | Laune Rangers | 0-06 | 6 | West Kerry | |
| Paud O'Donoghue | East Kerry | 0-06 | 6 | Laune Rangers |