1997 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

The 1997 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Woody Widenhofer, the Commodores compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 0–8 in conference play, placing last out of six teams in the SEC's Eastern Division. The team played home games at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The low point of the Commodores' season came in their fifth game against 13th-ranked LSU, coached by Gerry DiNardo, Vanderbilt's head coach from 1991 to 1994. After scoring a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining to cut the Tigers' lead to 7–6, Widenhofer kept the offense on the field, intending to go for a two-point conversion and the win. After LSU called timeout, the Commodores were called twice for delay of game, pushing the ball back to the 13-yard line and forcing Widenhofer to send in kicker John Markham to attempt an extra point which would have forced overtime. Markham, who missed a 38-yard field goal earlier in the game, had his kick blocked, allowing the Tigers to escape despite gaining a meager 230 total yards.