| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Team: | Vanderbilt Commodores |
| Conference: | Southeastern conference |
| Division: | Eastern Division |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Record: | 3–8 |
| Conf Record: | 0–8 |
| Head Coach: | Woody Widenhofer |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Off Coach: | Ed Lambert |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | Multiple |
| Def Coach: | Norm Parker |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Def Scheme: | 4–3 |
| Captain: | Jamie Duncan, Corey Chavous, Jay Stallworth, Damian Allen, John Bradley |
| Stadium: | Vanderbilt Stadium |
The 1997 Vanderbilt Commodores football team was an American football team that represented Vanderbilt University as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Woody Widenhofer, the team compiled a 3–8 record, with a conference record of 0–8, and finished sixth in the Eastern Division.