The 1997 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Holy Cross tied for second-to-last in the Patriot League.

In their second year under head coach Dan Allen, the Crusaders compiled a 4–7 record. Dominic Blue and Jeff Laboranti were the team captains.^[1]

The Crusaders were outscored 308 to 182. Holy Cross' 2–4 conference record placed it in a three-way tie for fourth in the seven-team Patriot League standings.^[2]

The team's claimed 4–7 and 2–4 records count the season-opening Towson matchup as a Holy Cross win by forfeit, as Towson agreed in October 1997 that it had used an academically ineligible player in that game.^[3]

Holy Cross played its home games at Fitton Field on the college campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Towson	Minnegan Stadium Towson, MD	W 7–27‡	2,000	[4][3]
September 20	Georgetown*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 25–21	5,827	[5]
September 27	Dartmouth*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 6–35	3,000	[6]
October 4	Princeton*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 7–21	8,542	[7]
October 11	at Columbia*	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 45–16	3,335	[8]
October 18	at Harvard*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 24–52	7,094	[9]
October 25	at Bucknell	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 6–18	7,872	[10]
November 1	Colgate^	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 7–42	2,826	[11]
November 8	at Lehigh	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 20–14	4,865	[12]
November 15	Lafayette	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 23–34	1,105	[13]
November 22	Fordham	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	L 12–28	725	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming ^ Family Weekend • ‡ Towson forfeit