1976 American Football Season

The 1976 American football season marked a pivotal era of expansion and dominant physical play in the professional ranks, alongside a historic, record-shattering year in collegiate athletics. It was a season characterized by the arrival of new franchises, arguably the greatest defensive stretch in NFL history, and a National Championship run led by a legendary running back.

Here is a glimpse of what 1976 football looked like:

NFL Expansion and the Raiders’ Triumph

The National Football League grew to 28 teams in 1976 with the addition of two expansion franchises: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

• The Expansion Struggles: The Buccaneers endured an infamous 0–14 season, becoming the first NFL team to finish a season winless since the 1944 Brooklyn Tigers. The Seahawks fared slightly better in their inaugural campaign, finishing 2–12.
• Super Bowl XI: The Oakland Raiders, led by head coach John Madden, finally broke through after years of playoff heartbreak. They finished the regular season 13–1 and defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32–14 in Super Bowl XI, capturing the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

Beyond the championships and expansion woes, the 1976 season featured several notable individual milestones and league dynamics:

• NFL MVP: Baltimore Colts quarterback Bert Jones won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, throwing for 3,104 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Colts to an 11–3 record.
• Thanksgiving Day Record: On November 25, 1976, Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson set a then-NFL single-game rushing record by tearing through the Detroit Lions defense for 273 yards in a 27–14 loss.
• The Play clock: 1976 marked the first season the NFL officially utilized two 30-second play clocks (visible in the stadiums) to enforce the delay of game penalty, changing the rhythm and pacing of offensive strategy across the league.

The Steel Curtain’s Historic Run

While the Raiders won the championship, the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers fielded what is widely considered one of the greatest defensive units in football history. After a disastrous 1–4 start and losing starting quarterback Terry Bradshaw to injury, the “Steel Curtain” defense took over:

• Over their final nine regular-season games, the Steelers went 9–0.
• The defense allowed a total of just 28 points during that nine-game stretch.
• They recorded five shutouts, including three in a row, a feat practically unheard of in the modern NFL era. Despite their historic defensive dominance, an injury-depleted Steelers team fell to the eventual-champion Raiders in the AFC Championship Game.

College Football: Pitt’s Perfect Season

The 1976 collegiate season belonged entirely to the Pittsburgh Panthers (Pitt) and their star running back, Tony Dorsett.

• National Champions: Coached by Johnny Majors, Pitt finished with a flawless 12–0 record. They cemented their National Championship by dismantling the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs 27–3 in the Sugar Bowl.
• The Heisman Winner: Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. During the 1976 season, Dorsett rushed for 2,150 yards and broke the NCAA career rushing record, finishing his four-year collegiate career with 6,082 rushing yards—a record that stood for over two decades.

A Deep Dive into 1976 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 1976 – In the 62nd installment of the Rose Bowl Game, the Ohio State Buckeyes returned but this time faced the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins, under Head Coach Dick Vermeil, won the game23-10. John Sciarra (UCLA QB) was voted the game MVP.
• January 4, 1976 – Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA –The AFC Championship games of the 1970’s had two pretty common teams playing in it. Can you believe there was only one game for the Lamar Hunt Trophy in the decade of the ’70s, where neither the Steelers nor the Raiders were a participant? Well, in the Conference Title game of the 1975 season, it was one of three meetings between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders in the decade. This time around, it was the Steelers who outlasted the Raiders, 16-10. Pro-Football-Reference provides data showing that Franco Harris and John Stallworth scored to help the Steelers advance to the Super Bowl. (source)
• January 18, 1976 – Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida –The NFL World Championship was settled in Super Bowl X. The Dallas Cowboys, winners of the NFC, were matched up against the AFC champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams were filled with future Pro Football Hall of Famers. In fact, there were 12 in all. The Cowboys fielded Roger Staubach, Rayfield Wright, Mel Renfro, and Cliff Harris, while the Steelers countered with Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, John Stalworth, and Lynn Swann. The Head coaches, Chuck Noll and Tom Landry, also ended up getting their busts in Canton, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. The Cowboys had a three-point lead at the half, but the majority of the scoring took place in the final stanza. It was the Steelers who put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter by some iconic acrobatic catches by Lynn Swann to overcome the Cowboys’ late charge. The final score was the Pittsburgh Steelers 21 to 17 points over the Dallas Cowboys. Lynn Swann was an obvious choice as the game’s MVP.
• January 26, 1976 – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans – In the NFL Pro Bowl, the NFC edged out the AFC, 23-20. The game’s MVP was Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, the wide receiver of the Houston Oilers.
• April 8, 1976 – Lee Roy Selmon from the University of Oklahoma became the first pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the 1976 NFL Draft.
• April 26, 1976 –The first 4-strap chin strap is introduced to enhance player head protection. According to an NCAA.org post, the college game adopted a safety rule requiring all players to secure the four-point chin straps on their helmets to keep helmets in the optimal position and protect players. In fact, the NCAA made it mandatory equipment.
• September 12, 1976 – The Seattle Seahawks play their inaugural regular-season game in a loss to St. Louis, 30 to 24.
• September 12, 1976 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played their first regular season game in franchise history, losing to the Houston Oilers 20-0 at the Astrodome in Houston.
• October 10, 1976 –The Giants Stadium in New Rutherford, New Jersey, opens up its gates for the first time, but the Dallas Cowboys darkened the festivities a bit when they handed the New York Giants a 24-14 loss in the stadium’s debut.
• November 14, 1976 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium –When the Philadelphia Eagles visited the Cleveland Browns, they knew the Browns had a pretty good defense. What they didn’t realize was that, hidden in the Cleveland lineup, was a one-person wrecking crew: Jerry Sherk.  Sherk was in the Eagles’ backfield almost as much as quarterback Mike Boryla.  Sherk set a club record with 4 sacks, and Cleveland won the game 24-3.
• November 25, 1976 – The Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson rushed for 276 yards against the Detroit Lions. The Buffalo News story gives all the action in the game, and from it, we gather that Simpson’s 273 yards came on 29 carries during this Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions. The Juice also broke one of Jim Brown‘s NFL records by rushing for a fifth game of 200 yards or more during his career. The yardage wasn’t enough, though, for the Bills as Detroit rolled to a 27-14 win in the contest.
• November 27, 1976 – Birmingham – Alabama dominated Auburn 38-7 in the 41st edition of the Iron Bowl Game.
• November 30, 1976 – The voters for the 42nd Heisman Trophy Award didn’t have to do much deliberation, as there was one clear choice that season. Tony Dorsett, the running back from the University of Pittsburgh, had helped his team to an undefeated season and an eventual National Championship. Dorsett set 18 NCAA rushing records that season, according to Heisman.com’s bio on him. Tony Dorsett averaged 215 yards rushing per game en route to leading the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards in the 1976 season.
• December 12, 1976 – Quarterback Joe Namath played his last game as a  New York Jets player. Yes, Broadway Joe played his last season in the NFL with the LA Rams.
• December 19, 1976 – Baltimore Memorial Stadium Airplane Incident. On December 19, just minutes after the Colts-Steelers game ended, a Piper Cherokee crashed into the stands at Baltimore Memorial Stadium. No one was seriously hurt, though an officer was hit by the aircraft. In the game, the Colts lost 40-14 to Pittsburgh.
• December 26, 1976 – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum –The AFC Championship game matched Oakland and Pittsburgh for the third year in a row. ProFootballHOF.com notes the Steelers had won the previous two years and were seeking a three-peat. But the Raiders capitalized on injuries to Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris, limiting the Steelers to just 72 rushing yards. Oakland ran for 157 yards, powering to a 24-7 win.
• December 26, 1976 – Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota –The NFC Championship featured the Minnesota Vikings hosting the LA Rams. Pro-Football-Reference.com explains that Minnesota built a 17-0 lead in the first half. The Rams scored 13 points in the third quarter. Sammy Johnson’s 13-yard touchdown in the fourth sealed the Vikings’ 24-13 win.