1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders season

The 1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in third place in the West Division with an 8–10 record and lost in the 85th Grey Cup game to the Doug Flutie-led Toronto Argonauts. Despite finishing the season tied with the BC Lions, the Roughriders were placed above the Lions after winning the season series three games to one. The 'Riders proceeded to upset the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 33–30 in the West-Semi Final and then defeated the favoured Edmonton Eskimos 31–30 to proceed to the Grey Cup game.

1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
General manager	Alan Ford
Head coach	Jim Daley
Home field	Taylor Field
Results
Record	8–10
Division place	3rd, West
Playoff finish	Lost Grey Cup
Team MOP	Bobby Jurasin
Team MOC	Dan Farthing
Team MOR	Todd McMillon

Offseason

CFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team
1	2	Ben Fairbrother	Offensive lineman	Calgary
2	13	Chris Szarka	Fullback	Eastern Illinois
4	26	Mark Raphael	Cornerback	Ottawa
5	34	Andre Batson	Wide receiver	York
6	42	Dan Comiskey	Offensive Lineman	Windsor

Ottawa Rough Riders Dispersal Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Pos
0	1	David Archer	QB
1	2	Lamar McGriggs	LB
2	10	Shawn Daniels	FB
3	18	Dave Dinnall	RB
4	26	Profall Grier	RB

Preseason

Game	Date	Opponent	Results		Venue	Attendance
			Score	Record
B	Fri, June 13	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers	W 39–21	1–0	Taylor Field	19,681
C	Thurs, June 19	at Edmonton Eskimos	L 18–24	1–1	Commonwealth Stadium	32,291

Regular season

Season standings

West Division

Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Edmonton Eskimos	18	12	6	0	479	400	24	Details
Calgary Stampeders	18	10	8	0	522	442	20	Details
Saskatchewan Roughriders	18	8	10	0	413	479	16	Details
BC Lions	18	8	10	0	429	536	16	Details

Saskatchewan finished ahead of BC in the standings because they defeated BC in 3 of their 4 regular season meetings.

Season schedule

Week	Game	Date	Opponent	Results		Venue	Attendance
				Score	Record
1	1	Thur, June 26	at BC Lions	W 24–23	1–0	BC Place	18,881
2	2	Fri, July 4	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	L 18–24	1–1	Taylor Field	25,751
3	3	Sat, July 12	vs. Toronto Argonauts	W 27–23	2–1	Taylor Field	22,956
4	4	Fri, July 18	at Calgary Stampeders	L 13–22	2–2	McMahon Stadium	30,366
5	5	Sat, July 26	vs. Calgary Stampeders	W 21–19	3–2	Taylor Field	26,483
6	6	Thur, July 31	at Edmonton Eskimos	L 34–37	3–3	Commonwealth Stadium	30,917
7	7	Fri, Aug 8	at Hamilton Tiger-Cats	W 30–20	4–3	Ivor Wynne Stadium	12,582
8	8	Fri, Aug 15	vs. BC Lions	L 26–39	4–4	Taylor Field	28,556
9	9	Thur, Aug 21	at Toronto Argonauts	L 1–27	4–5	SkyDome	17,330
10	10	Sun, Aug 31	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers	L 12–43	4–6	Taylor Field	29,788
11	11	Sun, Sept 7	vs. BC Lions	W 46–12	5–6	Taylor Field	22,966
12	12	Sun, Sept 14	at Calgary Stampeders	L 24–28	5–7	McMahon Stadium	28,414
13	13	Sun, Sept 21	vs. Montreal Alouettes	L 22–24	5–8	Taylor Field	25,570
14	14	Sun, Sept 28	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	W 29–5	6–8	Taylor Field	29,361
15	15	Fri, Oct 3	at Montreal Alouettes	L 29–30	6–9	Olympic Stadium	12,322
16	16	Fri, Oct 10	at BC Lions	W 26–19	7–9	BC Place	22,399
17	17	Sun, Oct 19	vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats	W 22–19	8–9	Taylor Field	31,909
18	18	Fri, Oct 24	at Winnipeg Blue Bombers	L 9–55	8–10	Winnipeg Stadium	30,222

Roster

Saskatchewan Roughriders roster
Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Slotbacks		Offensive linemen Defensive linemen		Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams		Injured Practice Roster Italics indicate Import player → More rosters

Awards and records

CFL All-Star Selections

• Bobby Jurasin, Defensive End
• John Terry, Offensive Tackle

Western All-Star Selections

• Bobby Jurasin, Defensive End
• John Terry, Offensive Tackle