The 1897 Chicago Maroons football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chicago during the 1897 Western Conference football season. In their sixth season under head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, the Maroons compiled a 12âÂÂ1 record, finished in second place in the Western Conference with a 3âÂÂ1 record against conference opponents, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 353 to 68.