Ricky Bell, Tony Dorsett, and the Strategic Maneuvering of the 1977 NFL Draft

The 1977 NFL Draft was a defining moment for two legendary running backs, but while one entered the league as the undisputed prize, the other would go on to rewrite the record books in Canton.

The original cropped image was taken by Darin Hayes at AT&T Stadium in 2022.

Draft Storyline

May 3, 1977— “Long Waiting Period Comes to End for Prize USC Back” was the headline in the Longview News Journal in Longview, Texas, the day after the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft took place.

Ricky Bell from USC was the first pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bell played through the 1982 season, yet the Pro Football Hall of Fame has not inducted him. In contrast, the Hall of Fame enshrined the second overall pick, Tony Dorsett. The Dallas Cowboys maneuvered significantly to secure the position to draft the outstanding Pittsburgh halfback. According to Pro Football Reference, Dorsett remains the only player from the 1977 Draft Class in Canton.

The disparity between the careers of the top two picks serves as a timeless reminder of the unpredictability of the draft. While Tampa Bay sought Ricky Bell as their “prize,” the Cowboys aggressively pursued Tony Dorsett, fundamentally altering their franchise’s trajectory. This move secured a cornerstone for the “America’s Team” era and produced the only Hall of Famer of the entire class.

Complete List of Players in the 1977 NFL Draft

This list presents every player teams selected in order during the 1977 NFL Draft.

Pick	Tm	Player	Pos
1	TAM	Ricky Bell	RB
2	DAL	Tony Dorsett HOF	RB
3	CIN	Eddie Edwards	DE
4	NYJ	Marvin Powell	T
5	NYG	Gary Jeter	DE
6	ATL	Warren Bryant	T
7	NOR	Joe Campbell	DE
8	CIN	Wilson Whitley	DT
9	GNB	Mike Butler	DE
10	KAN	Gary Green	DB
11	HOU	Morris Towns	T
12	BUF	Phil Dokes	DT
13	MIA	A.J. Duhe	LB
14	SEA	Steve August	T
15	CHI	Ted Albrecht	T
16	NWE	Raymond Clayborn	DB
17	CLE	Robert Jackson	LB
18	DEN	Steve Schindler	G
19	STL	Steve Pisarkiewicz	QB
20	ATL	Wilson Faumuina	DT
21	PIT	Robin Cole	LB
22	CIN	Mike Cobb	TE
23	RAM	Bob Brudzinski	LB
24	SDG	Bob Rush	C
25	NWE	Stanley Morgan	WR
26	BAL	Randy Burke	WR
27	MIN	Tommy Kramer	QB
28	GNB	Ezra Johnson	DE
29	TAM	Dave Lewis	LB
30	SEA	Tom Lynch	G
31	RAM	Nolan Cromwell	DB
32	NYG	Johnny Perkins	WR
33	NYJ	Wesley Walker	WR
34	NOR	Mike Fultz	DT
35	OAK	Mike Davis	DB
36	ATL	R.C. Thielemann	G
37	KAN	Tony Reed	RB
38	HOU	George Reihner	G
39	GNB	Greg Koch	T
40	MIA	Bob Baumhower	NT
41	SEA	Terry Beeson	LB
42	DET	Walt Williams	DB
43	CHI	Mike Spivey	DB
44	NWE	Horace Ivory	RB
45	DEN	Rob Lytle	RB
46	CLE	Tom Skladany	P
47	STL	George Franklin	RB
48	PIT	Sidney Thornton	RB
49	CIN	Pete Johnson	RB
50	RAM	Billy Waddy	WR
51	SEA	Pete Cronan	LB
52	NWE	Don Hasselbeck	TE
53	BAL	Mike Ozdowski	DE
54	DAL	Glenn Carano	QB
55	MIN	Dennis Swilley	C
57	OAK	Ted McKnight	RB
56	TAM	Charley Hannah	G
58	SEA	Dennis Boyd	DT
59	BUF	Curtis Brown	RB
60	PIT	Tom Beasley	DE
61	CHI	Robin Earl	TE
62	DAL	Tony Hill	WR
63	ATL	Edgar Fields	DT
64	NOR	Robert Watts	LB
65	SFO	Elmo Boyd	WR
66	HOU	Tim Wilson	FB
67	KAN	Tom Howard	LB
68	RAM	Ed Fulton	G
69	DET	Rick Kane	RB
70	HOU	Jimmie Giles	TE
71	MIA	Mike Watson	T
72	NYJ	Tank Marshall	DT
73	BUF	John Kimbrough	WR
74	GNB	Rick Scribner	G
75	PIT	Jim Smith	WR
76	CIN	Mike Voight	RB
77	SDG	Linden King	LB
78	STL	Kurt Allerman	LB
79	RAM	Wendell Tyler	RB
80	STL	Terdell Middleton	RB
81	DAL	Val Belcher	G
82	NWE	Sidney Brown	DB
83	MIN	Tom Hannon	DB
84	HOU	Rob Carpenter	RB
85	CIN	Rick Walker	TE
86	BUF	Jimmy Dean	DE
87	SEA	John Yarno	C
88	NYG	Mike Vaughan	T
89	ATL	Allan Leavitt	K
90	NYJ	Scott Dierking	RB
91	RAM	Vince Ferragamo	QB
92	KAN	Mark Bailey	RB
93	PIT	Ted Petersen	T
94	KAN	Tony Samuels	TE
95	KAN	Darius Helton	G
96	DET	Luther Blue	WR
97	WAS	Duncan McColl	DE
98	HOU	Warren Anderson	WR
99	PIT	Laverne Smith	RB
100	SFO	Stan Black	DB
101	DEN	Bill Bryan	C
102	CLE	Oliver Davis	DB
103	CIN	Mike Wilson	T
104	KAN	Eric Harris	DB
105	CIN	Jerry Anderson	DB
106	PIT	Dan Audick	T
107	RAM	Eary Jones	DE
108	DAL	Guy Brown	LB
109	NWE	Gerald Skinner	T
110	CLE	Mickey Sims	DT
111	SEA	Larry Seivers	WR
112	OAK	Mickey Marvin	G
113	MIA	Mike Michel	P
114	DET	Ron Crosby	LB
115	BUF	Fred Besana	QB
116	NYJ	Perry Griggs	WR
117	NYG	Randy Dean	QB
118	NOR	Dave Lafary	T
119	PHI	Skip Sharp	DB
120	ATL	Shelton Diggs	WR
121	PIT	Cliff Stoudt	QB
122	GNB	Nate Simpson	RB
123	MIA	Leroy Harris	RB
124	SDG	Clarence Williams	RB
125	PIT	Steve Courson	G
126	OAK	Lester Hayes	DB
127	BUF	Neil O’Donoghue	K
128	SDG	Cliff Olander	QB
129	NYJ	Gary Gregory	T
130	RAM	Donnie Hickman	G
131	STL	Ernest Lee	DT
132	PIT	Dirt Winston	LB
133	CIN	Ray Phillips	LB
134	RAM	Jeff Williams	G
135	STL	Andy Spiva	LB
136	NOR	Dave Hubbard	T
137	DAL	Andy Frederick	T
138	MIN	Ken Moore	TE
139	OAK	Jeff Barnes	LB
140	CHI	Vince Evans	QB
141	SFO	Mike Burns	DB
142	SEA	Tony Benjamin	RB
143	NYG	Bob Jordan	T
144	NYJ	Joe Klecko HOF	DT
145	PHI	Kevin Russell	DB
146	SDG	Dave Lindstrom	DE
147	NOR	Cliff Parsley	P
148	HOU	Gary Woolford	DB
149	GNB	Tim Moresco	DB
150	KAN	Rick Burleson	DE
151	SDG	Larry Barnes	RB
152	SDG	Pete Shaw	DB
153	NYG	Emery Moorehead	TE
154	PHI	Wilbert Montgomery	RB
155	SFO	Jim Harlan	T
156	RAM	Art Best	RB
157	BUF	Ron Pruitt	DE
158	PHI	Mark Mitchell	DB
159	PIT	Paul Harris	LB
160	CIN	Tom Duniven	QB
161	ATL	Keith Jenkins	DB
162	NOR	Tom Schick	G
163	BAL	Calvin O’Neal	LB
164	DAL	Jim Cooper	T
165	HOU	David Carter	C
166	DET	Reggie Pinkney	DB
167	KAN	Andre Herrera	RB
168	NYJ	Charlie White	RB
169	SEA	David Sims	RB
170	BUF	Mike Nelms	DB
171	NYJ	Bob Grupp	P
172	GNB	Derrel Gofourth	G
173	CLE	Kenny Randle	WR
174	NOR	Greg Boykin	RB
175	PHI	Charlie Johnson	NT
176	GNB	Rell Tipton	G
177	KAN	Chris Golub	DB
178	NYG	Al Dixon	TE
179	DET	Tim Black	LB
180	MIA	Bruce Herron	LB
181	SDG	Ron Bush	DB
182	CHI	Gerald Butler	WR
183	SFO	Jim Van Wagner	RB
184	CLE	Blane Smith	LB
185	DEN	Larry Swider	P
186	PIT	Randy Frisch	DT
187	CIN	Louis Breeden	DB
188	CLE	Bob Lingenfelter	T
189	WAS	Reggie Haynes	TE
190	OAK	Rich Martini	WR
191	DAL	Dave Stalls	DE
192	NWE	Ken Smith	WR
193	BAL	Blanchard Carter	T
194	CIN	Jim Corbett	TE
195	NYJ	Kevin Long	RB
196	TAM	Randy Hedberg	QB
197	BUF	Greg Morton	DE
198	HOU	Steve Davis	WR
199	NYG	Bill Rice	DT
200	NYJ	Dan Alexander	G
201	NOR	Jimmy Stewart	DB
202	PHI	Cleveland Franklin	RB
203	ATL	Walter Packer	DB
204	KAN	Ron Olsonoski	LB
205	HOU	Eddie Foster	WR
206	GNB	David Whitehurst	QB
207	MIA	Horace Perkins	DB
208	DAL	Al Cleveland	DE
209	DET	Mark Griffin	T
210	NYJ	Ed Thompson	LB
211	NYG	Otis Rodgers	LB
212	DEN	Calvin Culliver	RB
213	CLE	Bill Armstrong	DB
214	CIN	Jose Saint Victor	G
215	KAN	Waddell Smith	WR
216	STL	Eric Williams	LB
217	PIT	Phil August	WR
218	RAM	Rod Bockwoldt	DB
219	NWE	Brad Benson	T
220	BAL	Ken Helms	T
221	DAL	Fred Williams	RB
222	MIN	Clint Strozier	DB
223	OAK	Terry Robiskie	RB
224	TAM	Byron Hemingway	LB
225	SEA	George Adzick	DB
226	KAN	Derrick Glanton	DE
227	NYJ	Matt Robinson	QB
228	NYG	Ken Mullens	DE
229	PHI	T.J. Humphreys	G
230	ATL	John Maxwell	T
231	NOR	Dave Knowles	T
232	HOU	Bill Currier	DB
233	GNB	Joel Mullins	T
234	SDG	Gene Washington	WR
235	KAN	Dave Green	T
236	DET	Steve Mathieson	QB
237	MIA	Robert Turner	RB
238	CHI	Nick Buonamici	DT
239	SFO	David Posey	K
240	CLE	Daryl Brown	DB
241	DEN	Charles Jackson	LB
242	ATL	Robert Speer	DE
243	STL	Johnny Jackson	NT
244	PIT	Roosevelt Kelly	TE
245	CIN	Willie Zachery	WR
246	WAS	Mike Northington	RB
247	BAL	Glen Capriola	RB
248	DAL	Mark Cantrell	C
249	NWE	Jerry Vogele	LB
250	MIN	Scott Studwell	LB
251	TAM	Larry Mucker	WR
252	TAM	Robert Morgan	RB
253	PIT	Alvin Cowans	DB
254	SEA	Sam Adkins	QB
255	NYG	Mike Jones	WR
256	NYJ	John Hennessy	LB
257	ATL	Billy Ryckman	WR
258	NOR	Rafael Septien	K
259	PHI	John Mastronardo	WR
260	GNB	Jim Culbreath	RB
261	KAN	Mark Vitali	QB
262	HOU	Harvey Hull	LB
263	DET	Gary Anderson	G
264	MIA	Mark Carter	T
265	SDG	Curtis Townsend	LB
266	CHI	Dennis Breckner	DE
267	TAM	Aaron Ball	LB
268	DEN	Oren Middlebrook	WR
269	CLE	Tom Burkett	T
270	STL	Jim LeJay	WR
271	PIT	Dave LaCrosse	LB
272	CIN	Bob Bialik	P
273	WAS	James Sykes	RB
274	RAM	Don Petersen	TE
275	DAL	Steve DeBerg	QB
276	NWE	John Rasmussen	T
277	BAL	Ron Baker	G
278	MIN	Dan Beaver	K
279	NWE	Giles Alexander	DE
280	TAM	Chuck Rodgers	DB
281	SEA	Bill Westbeld	T
282	BUF	Nate Jackson	RB
283	PHI	Rocco Moore	G
284	NYG	Bill Helms	TE
285	NOR	John Blain	T
286	PHI	Mike Cordova	QB
287	ATL	Dave Farmer	RB
288	KAN	Maurice Mitchell	WR
289	HOU	Al Romano	LB
290	GNB	Terry Randolph	DB
291	MIA	John Alexander	DE
292	CIN	Joel Parrish	G
293	DET	Tony Daykin	LB
294	CHI	Connie Zelencik	C
295	SFO	Brian Billick	TE
296	CLE	Charles Nash	WR
297	DEN	Phil Heck	LB
298	PIT	Lou West	DB
299	CIN	Carl Allen	DB
300	WAS	Don Harris	DB
301	STL	Greg Lee	DB
302	RAM	Carson Long	K
303	NWE	Ray Costict	LB
304	BAL	Brian Ruff	LB
305	DAL	Don Wardlow	TE
306	MIN	Keith Hartwig	WR
307	NYJ	Dave Butterfield	DB
308	TAM	Chip Sheffield	WR
309	BUF	Charles Romes	DB
310	PIT	Jimmy Stephens	TE
311	NYG	Elmo Simmons	RB
312	NYJ	Phil Gargis	RB
313	NYJ	Dave Conrad	T
314	ATL	Don Parrish	NT
315	NOR	Oakley Dalton	DT
316	HOU	Ove Johansson	K
317	OAK	Rod Martin	LB
318	KAN	Raymond Burks	LB
319	SDG	Jim Stansik	TE
320	DET	Dave Greenwood	G
321	MIA	Terry Anderson	WR
322	CHI	Terry Irvin	DB
323	SFO	Scott Martin	G
324	DEN	Scott Levenhagen	TE
325	CLE	Leo Tierney	C
326	CIN	Alex Percival	WR
327	WAS	Curtis Kirkland	DE
328	STL	Rick Fenlaw	LB
329	SEA	I.V. Wilson	DT
330	RAM	Barry Caudill	C
331	BAL	Bill Deutsch	RB
332	DAL	Greg Peters	G
333	NWE	Dave Preston	RB
334	OAK	Rolf Benirschke	K
335	MIN	Jim Kelleher	RB

Special thanks to Pro-Football-Reference.com for the above information.

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Ricky Bell, Tony Dorsett, and the Strategic Maneuvering of the 1977 NFL Draft

Draft Storyline

Complete List of Players in the 1977 NFL Draft

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