| Year Game Played: | 1997 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship |
| Subheader: | I-AA National Championship Game |
| Visitor Name Short: | Youngstown State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Penguins |
| Home Nickname: | Cowboys |
| Visitor School: | Youngstown State University |
| Home Name Short: | McNeese State |
| Football Season: | 1997 |
| Home School: | McNeese State University |
| Visitor Record: | 12–2 |
| Home Record: | 13–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Gateway |
| Home Conference: | Southland |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 6 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Coach: | Jim Tressel |
| Home Coach: | Bobby Keasler |
| Visitor Rank Tsn: | 4 |
| Visitor Seed: | 8 |
| Home Rank Tsn: | 7 |
| Home Seed: | 6 |
| Date Game Played: | December 20 |
| Stadium: | Finley Stadium |
| City: | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Referee: | Ron Buckner (SoCon)[1] |
| Attendance: | 14,771 |
| Us Network: | ESPN |
| Different Previous: | 1996 |
| Different Next: | 1998 |
The 1997 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Youngstown State Penguins and the McNeese State Cowboys. The game was played on December 20, 1997, and was the first I-AA title game contested at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 10–9.[2]
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1997 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.[3]
See also: Youngstown State Penguins football. Youngstown State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (4–2 in conference).[4] Seeded eighth in the playoffs, the Penguins defeated ninth-seed Hampton, first-seed Villanova, and third-seed Eastern Washington to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Youngstown State in a Division I-AA championship game, having won three titles (1991, 1993, and 1994) against one loss (1992).
See also: McNeese State Cowboys football. McNeese State finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (6–1 in conference).[5] The Cowboys, seeded sixth, defeated 11-seed Montana, second-seed Western Illinois, and fourth-seed Delaware to reach the final. This was the first appearance for McNeese State in a Division I-AA championship game.