1977 American Football Season

The 1977 American football season marked the end of an era in the NFL and a year of dramatic upsets in the collegiate ranks. It was the final year of the NFL’s 14-game regular-season schedule before the league expanded to 16 games, and it was heavily defined by dominant defensive play, significant rule changes, and historic individual performances.

An image of what football in 1977 looked like, tear-away jersey and all:

The NFL: Doomsday vs. Orange Crush

The NFL landscape was ruled by two elite defenses: the Dallas Cowboys’ “Doomsday Defense” and the Denver Broncos’ “Orange Crush.” Both teams navigated the playoffs to meet in Super Bowl XII, the first Super Bowl ever played inside a domed stadium (the Louisiana Superdome).

• Super Bowl XII: The Dallas Cowboys dismantled the Denver Broncos 27–10. The Cowboys’ defense forced eight turnovers and held Denver to just 35 passing yards.
• Unique MVP Honor: For the first and only time in Super Bowl history, two players shared the MVP award: Cowboys defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Randy White.
• The “Sweetness” Season: Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton dominated the league, winning the NFL MVP award. On November 20, 1977, fighting through a high fever, Payton set the single-game rushing record with 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings—a record that stood for over two decades.
• Rule Changes: 1977 was the first season the NFL officially banned the “head slap,” a devastating pass-rushing technique popularized by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones.

1977 NFL Honors

College Football: The Irish and The Tyler Rose

The 1977 NCAA football season was a chaotic race for the top spot, ending with a leapfrog in the polls after the bowl games.

• National Champions: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, led by head coach Dan Devine and quarterback Joe Montana, claimed the National Championship. Despite an early-season loss to Ole Miss, the Irish surged late, capped by a dominant 38–10 victory over the previously undefeated, top-ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl.
• The Green Jersey Game: Notre Dame’s 1977 season is famous for the “Green Jersey” game against USC. Warming up in traditional navy blue, the Irish returned to the locker room to find Kelly green jerseys waiting. They came out to a roaring crowd and crushed the Trojans 49–19.
• Heisman Trophy: Texas Longhorns running back Earl Campbell, known as the “Tyler Rose,” won the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading Texas to an undefeated regular season before their bowl loss.

A Deep Dive into 1977 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 1977 – USC QB Vince Evans and the Trojans overcame the first-half injury of Heisman winner Ricky Bell to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 14-6. Evans was named the game MVP.
• January 9, 1977 – Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California –Super Bowl XI was played. This is the earliest date in the year any Super Bowl was played. Judging by the current February format, it will probably always remain the earliest. The matchup was between the Minnesota Vikings and the Oakland Raiders, who both advanced through their respective Conference Championships we discussed in our December 26 post. After a scoreless first quarter, the Raiders scored 16 unanswered points before the half. That was all they needed, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com, as the Raider defense limited the Vikings to 14 points. Oakland running back Pete Banaszak scored twice on short dives, and DB Willie Brown registered a 75-yard pick-six to seal the deal. The Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, to capture the Lombardi Trophy. The game MVP was Raiders Wide Receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who had four catches for 79 yards.
• January 17, 1977 – At the Seattle Kingdome, the NFL Pro Bowl ended with Steelers corner Mel Blount earning MVP as the AFC beat the NFC, 24-14.
• March 29, 1977, the NFL adopted the 16-game regular season and four-game preseason schedule, which began in the 1978 season. The new CBA, passed in 2020, adopted a 17-game regular season.
• May 3, 1977 – The first round of the 1977 NFL Draft began, with Ricky Bell from USC selected firstby the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The draft’s second overall pick was another running back, Tony Dorsett from the University of Pittsburgh. For full 1977 Draft coverage, check out this post.
• September 26, 1977 – The Cleveland Browns franchise plays the first Overtime game as they knock off the New England Patriots 30-27 in the extra period. The NFL adopted an overtime session in 1940 for divisional ties, and in 1946, it opened this rule to championship games as well. It wasn’t until 1974, though, that the League adopted sudden-death overtime for regular-season games. Although it was the Browns’ first extra regular-season session in history, it’s worth noting that the rule was only a little over two seasons old at the time.
• October 8, 1977 – The college football world was stunned when No. 7 Alabama traveled to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and defeated the No. 1 USC Trojans in a thriller.
• November 19, 1977 –The original “the Catch” game occurred in college football during the Clemson vs. South Carolina contest.
• November 20, 1977 – Seattle Kingdome –Seattle Seahawks Wide receiver Steve Largent began his NFL streak of 177 consecutive games with a reception against the Houston Oilers. Pro Football Reference reports that it was just one modest catch for 4 yards in this game that started his streak, which lasted over a decade and spanned 176 games.
• November 20, 1977 – Soldier Field –Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushed for an NFL record of 275 yards in one game. The Chicago Tribune has the story of Payton’s third season when he broke O.J. Simpson‘s mark of 273 on his final carry of a 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
• November 26, 1977 – Legion Field, Birmingham –The 42nd Iron Bowl featured number 2 in the nation Alabama on a surge, as they dispatched unranked Auburn by the tune of 48-21, per the Pickin Splinters website. Alabama’s QB Jeff Rutledge threw for 2 touchdowns & RB Tony Nathan rushed for 2 touchdowns as the Crimson Tide rolled their arch rival.
• November 27, 1977 – Olympic Stadium, Montreal –Montreal Alouettes beat Edmonton Eskimos, 41-6; record Grey Cup crowd 68,318; game referred to as the ‘Ice Bowl’; Dan Sweet records 23 points for Edmonton in the victory.
• December 8, 1977 – The Heisman Trophy of 1977 went to Texas Longhorns running back Earl Campbell.
• December 24, 1977 –The famous Ghost to the Post play when Oakland’s QB Ken Stabler found TE Dave Casper on a TD pass to end a marathon playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. Check out our full coverage on the Ghost to the Post game.

Big Football News of 1977

Beyond the champions and MVPs, the 1977 season featured several milestones and oddities that shaped the sport’s history:

• The End of a Historic Losing Streak: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an expansion franchise that began play in 1976, lost the first 26 games of their existence. On December 11, 1977, they finally secured their first franchise victory by defeating the New Orleans Saints 33–14, resulting in the firing of Saints head coach Hank Stram.
• The “Ghost to the Post”: One of the greatest playoff games in NFL history occurred in the 1977 AFC Divisional Round between the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts. The double-overtime thriller featured the famous “Ghost to the Post” play—a 42-yard completion from Ken Stabler to Dave Casper that set up the tying field goal. The Raiders eventually won 37–31 in the sixth longest game in NFL history.
• Grambling State’s Quarterback: Doug Williams led Grambling State to an SWAC Championship, finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. He would go on to be a first-round NFL draft pick in the spring of 1978, paving the way for future generations of Black quarterbacks.