| Year: | 1997 |
| Team: | Northwestern Wildcats |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Record: | 5–7 |
| Conf Record: | 3–5 |
| Head Coach: | Gary Barnett |
| Hc Year: | 6th |
| Captain: | Eric Collier[1] |
| Captain2: | Barry Gardner |
| Captain3: | Nate Strikwerda |
The 1997 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 1997 Big Ten Conference football season. They played their home games at Ryan Field and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Gary Barnett.
See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings.