1997 NFL Draft
Notable undrafted players
Table:
Original NFL team

Player

Pos.

College

Conf.

Notes

Atlanta Falcons

David Akers †

K

Louisville

C-USA

Baltimore Ravens

Priest Holmes †

RB

Texas

Big 12

Baltimore Ravens

Mike Flynn

C

Maine

Yankee

Buffalo Bills

Pat Williams †

DT

Texas A&M

Big 12

Chicago Bears

Obafemi Ayanbadejo

FB

San Diego State

WAC

Chicago Bears

Kevin Swayne

WR

Wayne State

Ind. (Div. II)

Chicago Bears

Terry Cousin

CB

South Carolina

SEC

Dallas Cowboys

Toby Gowin

P

North Texas

Big West

Dallas Cowboys

Kevin Mathis

CB

Texas A&M–Commerce

LSC

Detroit Lions

Travis Kirschke

DE

UCLA

Pac-10

Denver Broncos

Matt Lepsis

OT

Colorado

Big 12

Green Bay Packers

Joe Andruzzi

OT

Southern Connecticut State

Ind. (Div. II)

Green Bay Packers

Ryan Longwell

K

California

Pac-10

Kansas City Chiefs

Billy Lyon

DT

Marshall

SoCon

Minnesota Vikings

Todd Bouman

QB

St. Cloud State

NCC

New Orleans Saints

Jake Delhomme †

QB

Louisiana–Lafayette

Ind. (I-A)

New Orleans Saints

Sammy Knight †

S

USC

Pac-10

New Orleans Saints

Keith Mitchell †

LB

Texas A&M

Big 12

New York Giants

David Patten

WR

Western Carolina

SoCon

Philadelphia Eagles

Chad Lewis †

TE

BYU

WAC

Consulting the table plus the passages provided.

Answer the following question: Which draft pick attended college at a school that plays in the conference headquartered in Birmingham , Alabama ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

The 1997 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise 's 32nd season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . It was their first season with new Head Coach Dan Reeves , who had been hired on January 21 . For the season , they added a new logo and added the numerals & socks on the road jerseys are switched from black to red . And this was also the season were they debut the authentic stitched up name and numbers on jerseys . The season was marked with tragedy , as team owner Rankin Smith died on October 26 , 1997 . The following week , the team wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys for the remainder of the season .
David Roy Akers ( /ˈeɪkərz/ ; born December 9 , 1974 ) is a former American football placekicker . He played college football at Louisville , and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . Akers also played for the Carolina Panthers , Washington Redskins , Berlin Thunder , Philadelphia Eagles , San Francisco 49ers , and Detroit Lions . He was selected for the Pro Bowl six times in his career and was at one point tied for the longest field goal in NFL history when he kicked a 63-yard field goal with the San Francisco 49ers . His retirement on October 23 , 2017 made him the last Eagle from the Super Bowl XXXIX team to retire from the NFL .
Placekicker , or simply kicker ( PK or K ) , is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points . In many cases , the placekicker also serves as the team 's kickoff specialist or punter as well .
The 1996 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . They participated as members of Conference USA . The team played their home games in Cardinal Stadium and were led by head coach Ron Cooper .
Conference USA ( C-USA or CUSA ) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States . The conference participates in the NCAA 's Division I in all sports . C-USA 's offices are located in Dallas , Texas .
The 1997 Baltimore Ravens season was the team 's second year in the National Football League . While the Ravens failed to finish above 5th in the AFC Central they improved from 4-12-0 in 1996 to 6-9-1 . The Ravens introduce new uniforms with new style numbers with a shadow in the back which is still used as of 2019 and removed the home black home pants to white .
Priest Anthony Holmes ( born October 7 , 1973 ) is a former American football running back who played eleven seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Texas . He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . Holmes earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in their 2001 Super Bowl XXXV victory over the New York Giants . After rushing for just over 2,000 yards in four seasons in Baltimore , Holmes experienced breakout success after signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent in 2001 . During his seven-year stint with the Chiefs , Holmes was a three-time All-Pro , three-time Pro Bowl selection and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 . Holmes sat out the 2006 season with a neck injury , and after a brief comeback attempt in 2007 retired from the NFL . Holmes was also inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 . He was inducted to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2014 .
A running back ( RB ) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football . The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball , and block . There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play , depending on the offensive formation . A running back may be a halfback ( in certain contexts also referred to as a tailback ) , a wingback or a fullback . A running back will sometimes be called a feature back if he is the team 's starting running back .
The 1996 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . They were represented in the Big 12 Conference in the South Division in its first season in existence . They played their home games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin , Texas . The team was led by head coach John Mackovic .
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Irving , Texas . The conference consists of ten full-member universities . It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) for all sports . Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ; formerly Division I-A ) , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition . Its ten members , in the states of Iowa , Kansas , Oklahoma , Texas , and West Virginia , include eight public and two private , Christian schools . Additionally , the Big 12 has 11 affiliate members - eight for the sport of wrestling , one of which is also a member in women 's equestrianism ; one for women 's gymnastics ; and two for women 's rowing . The Big 12 Conference is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization incorporated in Delaware . The Big 12 Conference was founded on February 25 , 1994 . The eight members of the former Big Eight Conference joined with Southwest Conference schools Texas , Texas A & M , Baylor , and Texas Tech to form the new Big 12 Conference , which commenced competition on August 31 , 1996 . The conference 's current 10-campus makeup resulted from the 2010-13 Big 12 Conference realignment , in which Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference , Colorado joined the Pac-12 , and Missouri and Texas A & M joined the Southeastern Conference . TCU and West Virginia joined from the Mountain West and Big East Conferences respectively to offset two of the departing schools , bringing the conference to its current strength . The Big 12 Conference , like others involved in the realignment , has kept its name primarily for marketing purposes ; the conference has high name recognition and remains one of the Power Five conferences which are considered the primary contenders to produce a College Football Playoff champion team in any given year .
Michael Patrick Scooter Flynn ( born June 15 , 1974 in Doylestown , Pennsylvania ) is a former NFL center . He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . He played college football at Maine .
Center ( C ) is a position in gridiron football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team 's offense . The center is also the player who passes ( or snaps ) the ball between his legs to the quarterback at the start of each play . In recent years , the importance of centers for a football team has increased , due to the re-emergence of 3-4 defenses . According to Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome , you need to have somebody who can neutralize that nose tackle . If you do n't , everything can get screwed up . Your running game wo n't be effective and you 'll also have somebody in your quarterback 's face on every play .
The Maine Black Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Maine located in the U.S. state of Maine . The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) and are members of the Colonial Athletic Association . Maine 's first football team was fielded in 1892 . The team plays its home games at the 8,419 seat Alfond Stadium in Orono , Maine .
The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States . It once sponsored competition in many sports , but eventually became a football-only league . Although not under the same charter , it is essentially an ancestor of today 's Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) football conference . The Yankee Conference essentially was formed in 1938 as the New England Conference . The NCAA however considers the Yankee Conference and New England Conference to be two separate conferences , as they were formed under different charters .
The 1997 Buffalo Bills season was their 38th in the league . The team failed to improve upon their previous season 's output of 10-6 , instead falling to 6-10 . They missed the playoffs for only the second time in ten seasons . 1997 was Hall of Fame head coach Marv Levy 's final year as the team 's head coach . Todd Collins started at quarterback for the Bills in their first season in the post-Jim Kelly era . The Bills also signed Oakland 's Billy Joe Hobert to challenge Collins for the starting job . Third-string quarterback Alex Van Pelt also saw playing time with three starts in Collins ' absence . Hobert 's contract was terminated after Week Seven , in which Hobert was backing up an injured Collins , and after the game revealed to the media that he had not studied the playbook . Hobert was released the next day . One of the most memorable games in Buffalo Bills history occurred in Week Four against the Indianapolis Colts . The Colts roared to a 26-0 lead in the second quarter , before the Bills went on a 37-3 run , ultimately taking the lead 37-29 with 1:15 remaining in the game . The Colts closed to within two , but missed a two-point conversion , giving Buffalo a two-point victory .
Patrick Williams Sr. ( born October 24 , 1972 ) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for fourteen seasons . He played college football for Texas A & M University . He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . Williams also played for the Minnesota Vikings , with whom he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection . Marneshia Williams daughter Montrel Williams son
A defensive tackle ( DT ) is typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players in American football . The defensive tackle typically lines up opposite one of the offensive guards . Depending on a team 's individual defensive scheme , a defensive tackle may be called upon to fill several different roles . These roles may include merely holding the point of attack by refusing to be moved or penetrating a certain gap between offensive linemen to break up a play in the opponent 's backfield . If a defensive tackle reads a pass play , his primary responsibility is to pursue the quarterback , or simply knock the pass down at the line if it is within arm 's reach . Other responsibilities of the defensive tackle may be to pursue the screen pass or drop into coverage in a zone blitz scheme . In a traditional 4-3 defense , there is no nose tackle . Instead there is a left and right defensive tackle . Some teams , especially in the National Football League ( NFL ) , do have a nose tackle in this scheme , but most of them do not .
The 1996 Texas A & M Aggies football team completed the season with a 6-6 record . The Aggies had a regular season Big 12 record of 4-4 .
The 1997 Chicago Bears season was their 78th regular season completed in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team finished with a 4-12 record under head coach Dave Wannstedt . It was the team 's first 4-win season since the club posted a 4-10 record in 1975 . The team allowed a franchise-record 421 points in 1997 .
Obafemi Devin Ayanbadejo ( /ˌoʊbəˈfɛmi ˌaɪ.ənbəˈdeɪdʒoʊ/ ; born March 5 , 1975 ) is a former American football running back , fullback and special teams player . He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . In 1998 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings he was allocated to the London Monarchs of the NFL Europe league . A since defunct developmental league . Ayanbadejo also played for the Baltimore Ravens ( 1999-2002 ) , Miami Dolphins ( 2002-2003 ) , Arizona Cardinals 2004-2007 ) , Chicago Bears ( 2007 ) and California Redwoods ( 2009 ) of the UFL . His professional football career began in 1997 and he officially retired from professional football in January , of 2010 . He played college football at San Diego State . Ayanbadejo earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2000 Ravens via Super Bowl XXXV . He is the older brother of NFL linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo . Brendon is an All-Pro and Pro Bowler . Obafemi Ayanbadejo met Larry Fitzgerald while a young Fitz was a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings . The pair became teammates when the future Hall of Famer was drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals .
A fullback ( FB ) is a position known as the best position in the game of football , in the offensive backfield in gridiron football , and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback . Typically , fullbacks are larger than halfback and in most offensive schemes their duties are split between power running , pass catching , and blocking for both the quarterback and the other running back . Many great runners in the history of American football have been fullbacks , including Jim Brown , Marion Motley , Jim Taylor , Franco Harris , Larry Csonka , John Riggins , Christian Okoye , and Levi Jackson . However , many of these runners would retroactively be labeled as halfbacks , due to their position as the primary ball carrier ; they were primarily listed as fullbacks due to their size and did not often perform the run-blocking duties expected of modern fullbacks . Examples of players who have excelled at the hybrid running-blocking-pass catching role include Mike Alstott , Daryl Johnston , and Lorenzo Neal .
The 1996 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) . The team was led by head coach Ted Tollner , in his third year . They played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium [ note 1 ] in San Diego , California . They completed the season with a record of eight wins , three losses ( 8-3 , 6-2 WAC ) .
The Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) is an American collegiate athletic conference formed on July 27 , 1962 , and affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I . The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States , with member institutions located in Arizona , California , New Mexico , Utah , and Washington , along with the non-western states of Missouri and Illinois ( traditionally associated with the Midwest ) , as well as Texas ( traditionally associated with the Southwest ) . Due to most of the conference 's football-playing members leaving the WAC for other affiliations , the conference discontinued football as a sponsored sport after the 2012-13 season and left the NCAA 's Football Bowl Subdivision ( formerly known as Division I-A ) . The WAC thus became the first Division I conference to drop football since the Big West in 2000 . The WAC then added men 's soccer and became one of the NCAA 's eleven Division I non-football conferences .
Kevin Swayne ( born January 17 , 1975 ) was an American football wide receiver for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League . In the past , he had played for Wayne State College , the Iowa Barnstormers ( AFL ) , the Philadelphia Eagles , San Diego Chargers , Washington Redskins , New York Jets ( NFL ) and the Orlando Rage . Swayne became the first player to play 52 straight weeks of professional football . In 2001 , he played in the NFL , AFL , and XFL all in one year .
A wide receiver , also referred to as wideouts or simply receivers , is an offensive position in gridiron football , and is a key player . They get their name because they are split out wide ( near the sidelines ) , farthest away from the rest of the team . Wide receivers are among the fastest players on the field . The wide receiver functions as the pass-catching specialist .
The Wayne State Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Wayne State College , located in Wayne , Nebraska , in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports . The Wildcats compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 11 varsity sports .
NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that are not formally affiliated with any athletic conference . Schools that are members of a conference may also field intercollegiate teams in football , lacrosse , soccer , wrestling , and other sports not affiliated with a conference , usually due to their primary conference not having enough teams in a certain sport to enable sponsorship of the sport by that conference .
Terry Sean Cousin ( born March 11 , 1975 ) is a former American football cornerback . He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . He played college football at South Carolina . Cousin has also played for the Atlanta Falcons , Miami Dolphins , Carolina Panthers , New York Giants , Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns .
A cornerback ( CB ) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football . Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time , but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses . They create turnovers through hard tackles , interceptions , and deflecting forward passes . Other members of the defensive backfield include strong and free safeties . The cornerback position requires speed , agility , and strength . A cornerback 's skill set typically requires proficiency in anticipating the quarterback , backpedaling , executing single and zone coverage , disrupting pass routes , block shedding , and tackling . Cornerbacks are among the fastest players on the field .
The 1996 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Gamecocks were led by head coach Brad Scott and played their home games in Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia , South Carolina .
The Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States . Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ten states , three additional public land grant universities , and one private research university . The conference is headquartered in Birmingham , Alabama . The SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I in sports competitions ; for football , it is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , formerly known as Division I-A . The SEC is regarded as one of the most accomplished sports conferences in terms of its winning reputation , with 43 national football championships , 21 basketball championships , 41 indoor track championships , 42 outdoor track championships , 24 swimming championships , 20 gymnastics championships , and 13 College World Series . The conference is also highly successful financially , as it consistently leads most others in revenue distribution to its members , including an SEC record $ 455.8 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year , which was a sizable increase over the $ 292.8 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year , largely due to the revenue from the introduction of the SEC Network . The SEC was also the first NCAA Division I conference to hold a championship game ( and award a subsequent title ) for college football and was one of the founding members of the Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) . The current SEC commissioner is Greg Sankey . The conference sponsors team championships in nine men 's sports and twelve women 's sports .
The 1997 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise 's 38th season in the National Football League and was the fourth year under head coach Barry Switzer . The team failed to improve on their 10-6 record from 1996 and suffered a losing season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1990 . A series of countless off-the-field incidents , lack of discipline , and rumors of infighting between quarterback Troy Aikman and head coach Barry Switzer plagued the team throughout the year .
Toby Lee Gowin ( born March 30 , 1975 ) is a retired American football punter in the National Football League . He played college football at the University of North Texas .
A punter ( P ) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts ( kicks ) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage . This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a third down in Canadian football . Punters may also occasionally take part in fake punts in those same situations , when they throw or run the football instead of punting .
The 1996 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Mean Green played their home games at the Fouts Field in Denton , Texas , and competed in the Big West Conference . They were led by third-year head coach Matt Simon . The team finished the regular season with a 5-6 overall record with a 3-2 mark in Big West play .
The Big West Conference ( BWC ) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 's Division I . The conference was originally formed in 1969 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association ( PCAA ) , and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference . The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season .
Kevin Bryant Mathis ( born April 29 , 1974 ) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys , New Orleans Saints , and Atlanta Falcons . He played college football at Texas A & M University-Commerce .
The Texas A & M-Commerce Lions football team ( formerly the East Texas Lions and East Texas State Lions ) is the college football program representing Texas A & M University-Commerce . The school competes in the Lone Star Conference ( LSC ) in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) . The A & M-Commerce football team plays its home games at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Commerce , Texas . On Dec. 16 , 2017 , A & M-Commerce won its first NCAA Division II national championship , by defeating West Florida , 37-27 , in Kansas City . The Lions recorded a perfect record in 1934 , won the NAIA National Championship in 1972 , and have amassed a total of 24 LSC conference championships since joining as a charter member in 1931 . The school , which has fielded football teams since 1915 , has produced numerous National Football League players , including Autry Beamon , Dee Mackey , Harvey Martin , Alan Veingrad , Dwight White , and Wade Wilson . The program is currently coached by David Bailiff .
The Lone Star Conference ( LSC ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division II level . Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States , with schools in Texas , Oklahoma , New Mexico , and Arkansas . The conference was formed in 1931 when five schools withdrew from the old Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association . Charter members included East Texas State ( now Texas A & M-Commerce ) , North Texas State ( now University of North Texas ) , Sam Houston State , Southwest Texas State ( now Texas State ) , and Stephen F. Austin . Among the five charter members , only Texas A & M-Commerce remains in Division II and in the conference - the other four charter members moved up to Division I ( in football , North Texas and Texas State compete in NCAA Division I FBS , while Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston compete in NCAA Division I FCS ) . The Lone Star Conference operates from the same headquarters complex in the Dallas suburb of Richardson as the American Southwest Conference .
The 1997 Detroit Lions season was their 68th in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The Lions rebounded from a disastrous 1996 season , finishing 9-7 and qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons - the best stretch in franchise history . Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes as head coach . The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season . Sanders shared the 1997 Associated Press MVP Award with Packers quarterback Brett Favre . As a team , the Lions set an NFL rushing record , gaining 5.51 yards per rushing attempt . The Lions scored 379 points in 1997 , the fourth-most of any team in the league .
Travis Kirschke ( born September 6 , 1974 ) is a former American football defensive end . He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . He played college football at UCLA . He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Defensive End ( DE ) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football . This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line , but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is played .
The 1996 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California , Los Angeles in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . The season was highlighted by the 25-yard Skip Hicks touchdown run in the second overtime that won the game for the Bruins over the crosstown-rival USC Trojans .
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States , participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level . Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ; formerly Division I-A ) , the higher of two tiers of NCAA Division I football competition . The conference 's 12 members are located in the states of Arizona , California , Colorado , Oregon , Utah , and Washington . They include each state 's flagship public university , four additional public universities , and two private research universities . The modern Pac-12 conference formed after the disbanding of the Pacific Coast Conference ( PCC ) , whose principal members founded the Athletic Association of Western Universities ( AAWU ) in 1959 . The conference previously went by the names Big Five , Big Six , Pacific-8 , and Pacific-10 . The Pac-12 moniker was adopted in 2011 with the addition of Colorado and Utah . Nicknamed the Conference of Champions , the Pac-12 has won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in history . The top three schools with the most NCAA team championships are members of the Pac-12 : Stanford , UCLA , and USC , respectively . Washington 's national title in women 's rowing in 2017 was the 500th NCAA championship won by a Pac-12 school . The current commissioner of the conference is Larry Scott . Scott replaced Thomas C. Hansen , who retired in July 2009 after 26 years in that position .
The 1997 Denver Broncos season was the franchise 's 28th season in the National Football League , and the 38th overall . The Broncos finished the season with a record of 12-4 , finishing second in the AFC West , and winning Super Bowl XXXII . The Broncos were the second team since the 1970 merger to win a Super Bowl ( Oakland Raiders won in 1980 ) as a Wild Card team ; the Kansas City Chiefs were an AFL wild card entrant who won the pre-merger Super Bowl IV in 1969 . The 1997 season saw the new addition of the Denver Broncos ' newest wordmark and logo . Their default colors were navy blue pants , navy blue pants and orange shoes . This would continue until 2012 when they assigned the all blue to the Main alternate slot , replacing the primary uniforms with orange tops , white bottoms and orange/white shoes .
Matthew Stanley Lepsis ( born January 13 , 1974 ) is a former American football offensive tackle of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and remained with the team until his retirement following the 2007 season . He played college football at Colorado . Lepsis won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII .
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football . Historically , in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries , a tackle played on both offense and defense . In the modern system of specialized units , offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions , and the stand-alone term tackle refers to the offensive tackle position only . The offensive tackle ( OT , T ) is a position on the offensive line , left and right . Like other offensive linemen , their job is to block : to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football and enable him to advance the football and eventually score a touchdown . The term tackle is a vestige of an earlier era of football in which the same players played both offense and defense .
The 1996 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . The team played their home games at Folsom Field in Boulder , Colorado . They participated in the Big 12 Conference in the North Division . They were coached by head coach Rick Neuheisel . With the bowl victory , Colorado recorded its third straight 10-win season for the first time in school history .
The 1997 Green Bay Packers season was their 79th season overall and their 77th in the National Football League . The season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship , but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway 's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII . The team narrowly missed its opportunity to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins . After a dominating 1996 campaign which ended with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI , many expected the Packers to repeat as champions in 1997 . During training camp , star safety LeRoy Butler , among others , said that the Packers had the chance to run the table and go 19-0 . This opinion drew increased coverage from the media as the Packers notched impressive victories in all five preseason games . The undefeated hype ended quickly , however , when Green Bay lost week 2 in Philadelphia . Following a relatively slow 3-2 start , the Packers caught fire in the second half of the season , finishing with a 13-3 regular season record and 8-0 home record for the second consecutive year . In the playoffs , Green Bay defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field in the divisional round , and San Francisco 49ers at 3Com Park in the NFC Championship . Some in the media dubbed the NFC title game as the real Super Bowl because of the 49ers ' and Packers ' league dominance , and the relative inferiority of the AFC in recent Super Bowls . Green Bay 's win marked the third consecutive year the team had defeated San Francisco in the playoffs . The Packers entered Super Bowl XXXII as 11 1/2-point favorites .
Joseph Dominick Andruzzi ( born August 23 , 1975 ) is a former American football offensive guard .
The Southern Connecticut Owls ( also Southern Connecticut State Owls and SCSU Owls ) are the athletic teams that represent Southern Connecticut State University , located in New Haven , Connecticut , in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports . The Owls ' 17 athletic teams , seven for men and 10 for women , compete as members of either the Northeast-10 Conference or the Eastern College Athletic Conference . SCSU has been a member of the NE-10 since 2000 . There have been 10 NCAA National Championship Teams at Southern , as well as 75 NCAA Individual Champions in the sports of Track and Field , Swimming and Gymnastics .
The Eastern College Athletic Conference ( ECAC ) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports ( 13 men 's and 13 women 's ) . It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I , II , and III , ranging in location from Maine to South Carolina and west to Missouri . Most or all members belong to at least one other athletic conference . The ECAC was founded as the Central Office for Eastern Intercollegiate Athletics in 1938 , largely through the efforts of James Lynah of Cornell University . In 1983 , the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women ( EAIAW ) was consolidated into the ECAC . Most member schools are in other conferences as well , but through the ECAC they are able to participate in sports that their main conferences do not offer . Its headquarters are located in Danbury , Connecticut . The ECAC also now offers esports competitions to its member schools .
Ryan Walker Longwell ( born August 16 , 1974 ) , is a retired American football kicker . After playing college football for the California Golden Bears , he started his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers , but never played a game for the franchise . He then played for the Green Bay Packers from 1997 to 2005 . He played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 to 2011 . He also played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2012 playoffs .
The 1996 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California , Berkeley in the Pacific-10 Conference ( Pac-10 ) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their first and only year under head coach Steve Mariucci , the Golden Bears compiled a 6-6 record ( 3-5 against Pac-10 opponents ) , finished in a tie for fifth place in the Pac-10 , and were outscored by their opponents by a combined score of 407 to 382 . The team 's statistical leaders included Pat Barnes with 3,499 passing yards , Brandon Willis with 701 rushing yards , and Bobby Shaw with 888 receiving yards .
The 1997 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise 's 28th season in the National Football League , and the 38th overall . The Chiefs finished with a 13-3 record and as AFC West division champions . The season is best remembered for the Rich Gannon-Elvis Grbac quarterback controversy which brewed throughout the entire season and arguably cost the Chiefs a victory in the playoffs . The Chiefs were beaten by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champions , the Denver Broncos , in the 1998 playoffs . 1997 was the final season that the Chiefs would appear in the playoffs during the 1990s and for the next several seasons , they fell out of contention . They would return to the playoffs in 2003 . This was the last season that Marty Schottenheimer would coach the team into the playoffs , with the loss to Denver in the Divisional round 14-10 capping off many years of disappointing playoff losses . This was also the final season for future Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen .
William Morton Lyon ( born December 10 , 1973 ) is a former American football defensive end and defensive tackle in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings . Lyon played collegiate ball for Marshall University and played professionally for 6 seasons . He retired in 2003 .
The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season . It was Marshall 's final season competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level . Marshall won their second NCAA Division I-AA National Championship in school history .
The Southern Conference ( SoCon ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision ( formerly known as Division I-AA ) . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , and Virginia . Established in 1921 , the Southern Conference ranks as the fifth-oldest major college athletic conference in the United States , and either the third- or fourth-oldest in continuous operation , depending on definitions . Among conferences currently in operation , the Big Ten ( 1896 ) and Missouri Valley ( 1907 ) are indisputably older . The Pac-12 Conference did not operate under its current charter until 1959 , but claims the history of the Pacific Coast Conference , founded in 1915 , as its own . The Southwest Conference ( SWC ) was founded in 1914 , but ceased operation in 1996 . The Big Eight Conference claimed the same history as the Missouri Valley from 1907 to 1928 during its existence ; though it essentially merged with four SWC members to form the Big 12 Conference in 1996 , the Big 12 does not claim the Big Eight 's legacy . The Ivy League was formally organized in 1954 with athletic competition starting in 1955 , but claims the history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League , which competed from 1901 to 1955 , as its own . The SoCon was the first conference to use the three-point field goal in basketball in a November 29 , 1980 game at Western Carolina against Middle Tennessee State University ( MTSU ) , where Ronnie Carr shot the historic shot from 22 feet ( 6.7 m ) away and the Catamounts won 77-70 . The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball . It has also garnered considerable national attention from its recent success in these sports : in particular , former member , three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers , who stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34-32 on September 1 , 2007 ; from the Davidson Wildcats , who reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga ( a mid-major school which became a power program in the 2000s ) , Georgetown , and Wisconsin .
The 1997 season was the Minnesota Vikings ' 37th in the National Football League and their sixth under head coach Dennis Green . The team finished with a 9-7 record and qualified for a wild card berth in the playoffs . In the wild card round against the New York Giants , the Vikings came back from a 22-13 deficit with 90 seconds to play to win 23-22 , their first playoff victory since 1988 . In the divisional round , the Vikings were defeated 38-22 by the San Francisco 49ers . Vikings defensive tackle John Randle led the league in sacks with 15.5 . Wide receiver Cris Carter 's 13 touchdown receptions also were most in the league . Before the season , the Vikings acquired Randall Cunningham after a year out of the game , a move that reunited Cunningham with his former Philadelphia Eagles teammate Cris Carter .
Todd Matthew Bouman ( /ˈbaʊmən/ ; born August 1 , 1972 ) is a former American football quarterback . He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . He played college football at St . Cloud State . Bouman also played for the New Orleans Saints , Green Bay Packers , Jacksonville Jaguars , St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens .
The quarterback ( commonly abbreviated QB ) , colloquially known as the signal caller , is a position in gridiron football . Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line . In modern American football , the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offensive team , and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle . The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play , and is the offensive player that almost always throws forward passes . When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage , it is called a sack .
St . Cloud State University ( SCSU ) is a public university in St . Cloud , Minnesota . Founded in 1869 , the university is one of the largest schools in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system . Its enrollment in 2019 was approximately 16,000 students and it has nearly 110,000 alumni .
The North Central Conference ( NCC ) , also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference , was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States . It participated in the NCAA 's Division II .
The 1997 New Orleans Saints season was the franchises 31st season in the National Football League , and 24th at the Louisiana Superdome . The team improved upon its 1996 record of 3-13 , winning six games , but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season .
Jake Christopher Delhomme ( /dəˈloʊm/ ; born January 10 , 1975 ) is a former American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League ( NFL ) . Delhomme played college football at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette , then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana , before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent after the 1997 NFL Draft . Delhomme began his professional career as a practice squad player with the Saints in 1997 and 1998 and played in the NFL Europe for two years in between NFL seasons . Returning to the Saints , Delhomme played his first NFL games in 1999 . Delhomme played as the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback from 2003 to 2009 . Delhomme held most of Carolina 's quarterback records until Cam Newton broke most of them . Delhomme led the team to Super Bowl XXXVIII in his first season with Carolina . After his departure from Carolina , Delhomme also played for the Cleveland Browns in 2010 and Houston Texans in 2011 .
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette ( UL Lafayette , University of Louisiana , or UL ) is a public research university in Lafayette , Louisiana . It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and has the second largest enrollment in Louisiana . Founded in 1898 as an industrial school , the institution developed into a four-year university during the twentieth century and became known by its present name in 1999 . It offers Louisiana 's only Ph.D. in francophone studies , Louisiana 's only master 's of informatics , and Louisiana 's only industrial design degree . The university has achieved several milestones in computer science , engineering and architecture . It is also home to a distinct College of the Arts .
National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference . This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do . There are fewer independent schools than in years past ; many independent schools join , or attempt to join , established conferences . The main reasons to join a conference are to gain a share of television revenue and access to bowl games that agree to take teams from certain conferences , and to help deal with otherwise potentially difficult challenges in scheduling opponents to play throughout the season . All Division I FBS independents are eligible for the College Football Playoff ( CFP ) , or for the so-called access bowls associated with the CFP , if they are chosen by the CFP selection committee . Notre Dame has a potential tie-in with the Orange Bowl . Army has an agreement with the Military Bowl ( formerly the EagleBank Bowl ) , and Notre Dame , in addition to its CFP agreement , has other bowl agreements as part of its affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . ( Notre Dame had similar agreements with its previous conference , the Big East . ) BYU had an agreement with the Armed Forces Bowl for 2011 . The ranks of football independents increased by one starting with the 2011 season with the announcement that BYU would leave the Mountain West Conference ( MWC ) to become a football independent starting with that season . The ranks increased by two in 2013 when the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) dropped football and New Mexico State and Idaho did not have a conference for football . The ranks of football independents decreased by two in 2014 with the return of Idaho and New Mexico State as football-only members of the Sun Belt Conference ( SBC ) and decreased by one more in 2015 with Navy joining the American Athletic Conference ( AAC ) as a football-only member .
Sammy D. Knight , Jr. ( born September 10 , 1975 ) is a former American football safety . He played college football at USC and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997 . Knight was also a member of the Miami Dolphins , Kansas City Chiefs , Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants . He was also an assistant coach at USC .
Safety , historically known as a safetyman , is a position in gridiron football played by a member of the defense . The safeties are defensive backs who line up from ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage . There are two variations of the position in a typical American formation : the free safety ( FS ) and the strong safety ( SS ) . Their duties depend on the defensive scheme . The defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field , respectively . While American ( 11-player ) formations generally use two safeties , Canadian ( 12-player ) formations generally have one safety and two defensive halfbacks , a position not used in the American game . As professional and college football have become more focused on the passing game , safeties have become more involved in covering the eligible pass receivers . Safeties are the last line of defense ; they are expected to be reliable tacklers , and many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football . Safety positions can also be converted cornerbacks , either by design ( Byron Jones ) or as a cornerback ages ( Charles Woodson , DeAngelo Hall , Lardarius Webb , Tramon Williams ) . Historically , in the era of the one-platoon system , the safety was known as the defensive fullback ( specifically the free safety ; the strong safety would be a defensive halfback , a term still in Canadian parlance ) or goaltender .
The 1996 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California ( USC ) in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their 11th and final year under head coach John Robinson , the Trojans compiled a 6-6 record ( 3-5 against conference opponents ) , finished in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Pacific-10 Conference ( Pac-10 ) championship , and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 325 to 267 . Quarterback Brad Otton led the team in passing , completing 196 of 370 passes for 2,649 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions . LaVale Woods led the team in rushing with 119 carries for 601 yards and seven touchdowns . Chris Miller led the team in receiving with 43 catches for 793 yards and five touchdowns .
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States , participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level . Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ; formerly Division I-A ) , the higher of two tiers of NCAA Division I football competition . The conference 's 12 members are located in the states of Arizona , California , Colorado , Oregon , Utah , and Washington . They include each state 's flagship public university , four additional public universities , and two private research universities . The modern Pac-12 conference formed after the disbanding of the Pacific Coast Conference ( PCC ) , whose principal members founded the Athletic Association of Western Universities ( AAWU ) in 1959 . The conference previously went by the names Big Five , Big Six , Pacific-8 , and Pacific-10 . The Pac-12 moniker was adopted in 2011 with the addition of Colorado and Utah . Nicknamed the Conference of Champions , the Pac-12 has won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in history . The top three schools with the most NCAA team championships are members of the Pac-12 : Stanford , UCLA , and USC , respectively . Washington 's national title in women 's rowing in 2017 was the 500th NCAA championship won by a Pac-12 school . The current commissioner of the conference is Larry Scott . Scott replaced Thomas C. Hansen , who retired in July 2009 after 26 years in that position .
Clarence Keith Marquis Mitchell ( born July 24 , 1974 ) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the New Orleans Saints , the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars between 1997 and 2003 .
A linebacker ( LB or backer ) is a playing position in gridiron football . Linebackers are members of the defensive team , and line up approximately three to five yards ( 4 m ) behind the line of scrimmage , behind the defensive linemen , and therefore back up the line . Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a two-point stance ( as opposed to the defensive linemen , who put one or two hands on the ground for a three-point stance or four-point stance before the ball is snapped ) . The goal of the linebacker is to provide either extra run defense or extra pass defense based on the particular defensive play being executed . Another key play of the linebacker position is blitzing . A blitz occurs when a linebacker acts as an extra pass rusher running into any exposed gap . When a blitz is called by the defense , it is mainly to sack or hurry the opposing offense 's quarterback . Linebackers are often regarded as the most important position in defense , due to their versatility in providing hard hits on running plays or an additional layer of pass defense , when required . Similar to the free safety position , linebackers are required to use their judgment on every snap , to determine their role during that particular play .
The 1997 New York Giants season was the franchise 's 73rd season in the National Football League and the first under head coach Jim Fassel . The team improved upon their previous season 's output of 6-10 . By winning ten games , plus additionally tying the Washington Redskins for first tie by the Giants since 1983 , the team qualified for postseason play for the first time in four seasons . In the playoffs , the Giants lost to the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Game 23-22 .
David Patten ( born August 19 , 1974 ) is a former American football wide receiver . He was signed by the Albany Firebirds as a street free agent in 1996 . He played college football at Western Carolina . Patten was also a member of the Washington Redskins , New Orleans Saints , Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots . He earned three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots .
The Western Carolina Catamounts football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Western Carolina University located in the U.S. state of North Carolina . The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) and are members of the Southern Conference . The school 's first football team was fielded in 1931 . The team plays its home games at the 13,742 seat Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium . They are coached by Mark Speir .
The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 65th in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10-6 , going only 6-9-1 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons . This was the season where the team was sponsored by the Starters brand . Lowlights of the 1997 campaign include a disheartening one-point loss at Dallas in Week 3 , where starter Ty Detmer led the Birds on a potential game-winning drive late in regulation , only to see holder Tommy Hutton botch the hold on what would have been the deciding field goal from ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol . In Week 7 , the Eagles lost their first-ever game against the three-season-old Jacksonville Jaguars , and on November 10 , in a Monday Night Football 24-12 home loss against San Francisco , a fan was spotted firing a flare gun in the upper deck . Six days later , at Memorial Stadium , the Eagles and Ravens engaged in a 10-10 tie . This was Eagles ' first tie since 1986 against the Cardinals . One bright spot during the year came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving , when rookie Bobby Hoying stepped in under center and threw for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-42 win against the Cincinnati Bengals . The 1997 campaign was notable in that it ended a 13-year radio partnership between broadcasters Merrill Reese and former Eagle Stan Walters on 94 WIP . Mike Quick became the color commentator the following season .
Chad Wayne Lewis ( born October 5 , 1971 ) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams .
The tight end ( TE ) is a position in American football , arena football , and formerly Canadian football , on the offense . The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver . Like offensive linemen , they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be effective blockers . On the other hand , unlike offensive linemen , they are eligible receivers adept enough to warrant a defense 's attention when running pass patterns . Because of the hybrid nature of the position , the tight end 's role in any given offense depends on the tactical preferences and philosophy of the head coach . In some systems , the tight end will merely act as a sixth offensive lineman , rarely going out for passes . Other systems use the tight end primarily as a receiver , frequently taking advantage of the tight end 's size to create mismatches in the defensive secondary . Many coaches will often have one tight end who specializes in blocking on running plays while using a tight end with better pass-catching skills in obvious passing situations . Offensive formations may have as few as zero or as many as three tight ends at one time .
The 1996 Brigham Young Cougars football team represented the Brigham Young University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . They were the first team during the so-called Modern era ( post 1937 ) to play 15 games in a season , and the only one to do it when Division I-A teams normally played 11 regular season games . Firstly , a team was able to play a designated kickoff opening game and not have it count against the allowed game total , then they played at Hawaii which did n't count against the allowed total . That allowed BYU to play 13 regular season games . They then played a conference championship game and a bowl game in the Cotton Bowl Classic bringing the total to 15 games . During the 2002 and 2003 seasons teams were allowed to schedule 12 games as well as a kickoff game . As a result , the 2003 Kansas State Wildcats became only the second team to play a 15-game season , finishing with an 11-4 record . The kickoff game exemption was eliminated in 2005 , but the Hawaii exemption remains in place . Since 2014 , it has again been possible for teams to play a 15-game schedule without playing in Hawaii because of the 4 team playoff system . The next team to do this without the aid of the playoff would be the 2019 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors .