1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team
Get 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team essential facts below. View Videos or join the 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team discussion. Add 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.
1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team
1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo.svg
Consensus national champion
Cotton Bowl champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
1977 record11-1
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMerv Johnson (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro set
Defensive coordinatorJoe Yonto
Base defense4-3
Captains
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
Seasons
← 1976
1978 →
1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
No. 1 Notre Dame   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
No. 5 Penn State   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
Colgate   –   –       10 – 1 – 0
North Texas State *   –   –       10 – 1 – 0
No. 16 San Diego State   –   –       10 – 1 – 0
Tennessee State   –   –       8 – 1 – 1
No. 14 Florida State   –   –       10 – 2 – 0
No. 8 Pittsburgh   –   –       9 – 2 – 1
East Carolina   –   –       8 – 3 – 0
Rutgers   –   –       8 – 3 – 0
Army   –   –       7 – 4 – 0
Louisville   –   –       7 – 4 – 1
Boston College   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Cincinnati   –   –       5 – 4 – 2
Georgia Tech   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Memphis State   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Northwestern State   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Syracuse   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
William & Mary   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Temple   –   –       5 – 5 – 1
Hawaii   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
Navy   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
West Virginia   –   –       5 – 6 – 0
South Carolina   –   –       5 – 7 – 0
Utah State   –   –       4 – 7 – 0
Villanova   –   –       4 – 7 – 0
Illinois State   –   –       3 – 7 – 1
Virginia Tech   –   –       3 – 7 – 1
Indiana State   –   –       3 – 7 – 0
Miami (FL)   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Richmond   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Tulane   –   –       3 – 8 – 0
Air Force   –   –       2 – 8 – 1
Holy Cross   –   –       2 – 8 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –       2 – 9 – 0
  • North Texas State (originally 9-2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, ended the season with 11 wins and one loss, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic by a score of a 38-10.[2] The 1977 squad became the tenth Irish team to win the national title and were led by All-Americans Ken MacAfee, Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, and Bob Golic. Junior Joe Montana, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, was the team's starting quarterback.

Season

Dan Devine entered his third year as head coach, coming off of a 9-3 season in 1976 that culminated in a Gator Bowl win over Penn State .[3] Devine returned a highly touted defense, featuring 1976 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, defensive end Willie Fry, and All-American linebacker Bob Golic.[3] On offense, quarterback Joe Montana earned the starting job and led an offense that included running backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson and All-American tight end Ken MacAfee.[3] Montana, earned a reputation as "the comeback kid", had two come from behind victories in the fourth quarter, against Purdue and Clemson, down 17 and 10 respectively.[3] After a surprising loss to unranked Ole Miss, patience among the fans was running thin, who considered Devine's previous 8-3 and 9-3 seasons as lackluster compared to the team success under Devine's predecessor, Ara Parseghian.[4] The Irish rebounded to win their remaining games, including a 49-19 rout of USC in the now famous "Green Jersey Game."[4] The Irish earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they defeated No. 1 and unbeaten Texas by a score of 38-10 to capture Notre Dame's tenth national title.[3] The Irish leaped four spots in the polls after the Cotton Bowl Classic victory to claim the consensus title.[3]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 103:50 p.m.at No. 7 PittsburghNo. 3
ABCW 19-956,500
September 172:30 p.m.vs. Ole MissNo. 3
L 13-2048,200
September 242:30 p.m.at PurdueNo. 11
W 31-2468,966
October 12:30 p.m.Michigan StateNo. 14
W 16-659,075
October 151:30 p.m.vs. ArmyNo. 11
W 24-072,594
October 221:50 p.m.No. 5 USCNo. 11
ABCW 49-1959,075
October 292:30 p.m.NavyNo. 5
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 43-1059,075
November 51:30 p.m.Georgia TechNo. 5
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 69-1459,075
November 121:30 p.m.at No. 15 ClemsonNo. 5
W 21-1754,189
November 191:30 p.m.Air ForceNo. 6
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 49-059,075
December 38:00 p.m.at MiamiNo. 5
W 48-1035,789
January 2, 19782:00 p.m.vs. No. 1 TexasNo. 5
CBSW 38-1076,701

Roster

Game summaries

Pittsburgh

Ole Miss

Ole Miss gave the eventual national champion Notre Dame its only loss of the season.

Purdue

1 234Total
• Notre Dame 0 14017 31
Purdue 10 1400 24

[5]

Michigan State

Michigan St at #14 Notre Dame
1 234Total
Michigan St 3 030 6
• Notre Dame 0 1060 16

Army

1 234Total
Army 0 000 0
• Notre Dame 0 7107 24
  • ND: Jerome Heavens 34 Rush, 200 Yds (single game school record - Sitko 1948 vs. Michigan St)[6]

USC

1 234Total
USC 0 7012 19
• Notre Dame 7 151314 49

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the first time since their 1963 game against Syracuse.

[7]

Navy

1 234Total
Navy 0 037 10
• Notre Dame 7 91413 43
  • Date: October 29
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium o South Bend, Indiana
  • Game attendance: 59,075

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the second straight week.

[8]

Georgia Tech

Clemson

Air Force

Miami (FL)

1 234Total
• Notre Dame 14 6217 48
Miami (FL) 0 1000 10
  • Date: December 3
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game attendance: 35,789

[9]

Texas (Cotton Bowl)

1 234Total
• Notre Dame 3 2177 38
Texas 3 700 10
  • Location: Cotton Bowl
  • Game attendance: 76,701
  • Game weather: Sunny; 35°F


[10]

Post-season

Award winners

Heisman Trophy voting

Ken MacAfee, 3rd[14]
Ross Browner, 5th[14]

All-Americans

Name AP UPI NEA FC SN FW FN WCF CW
+ Ross Browner, DE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
+ Ken MacAfee, TE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
? Luther Bradley, DB 2 1 2 1 1 1
Ernie Hughes, G 2 2
Bob Golic, MG (MLB) 2 2 2
Willie Fry, DE 2
Ted Bergmeier, DB 2
+denotes unanimous selection
?denotes consensus selection Source:[2]

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

Name Position Year Inducted
Ross Browner Defensive end 1999
Dan Devine Coach 1985
Ken MacAfee Tight end 1997

[15]

1978 NFL Draft

Player Position Round Pick Franchise
Ken MacAfee Tight end 1(7) 7 San Francisco 49ers
Ross Browner Defensive end 1(8) 8 Cincinnati Bengals
Luther Bradley Defensive back 1(11) 11 Detroit Lions
Willie Fry Defensive end 2(23) 49 Pittsburgh Steelers
Ernie Hughes Guard 3(23) 79 San Francisco 49ers
Ted Burgmeier Defensive back 5(1) 111 Miami Dolphins
Steve McDaniels Tackle 9(27) 249 San Francisco 49ers
Doug Becker Linebacker 10(18) 268 Pittsburgh Steelers
Source:[16]

References

  1. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
  2. ^ a b "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 164)". und.cstv.com. Retrieved 2008.
  4. ^ a b Walters, John (July 21, 2004). Notre Dame Golden Moments. Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-59186-042-3.
  5. ^ "Wolves Subdue Stubborn Navy; Notre Dame Overcomes Purdue." Ocala Star-Banner. September 25, 1977.
  6. ^ "Irish looking to Heavens: He responds with record." Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Oct 16. Retrieved 2017-Sep-02.
  7. ^ "Green Irish thump Trojans." Eugene Register-Guard. October 23, 1977.
  8. ^ "Irish wear green and don't need it, 43-10." Eugene Register-Guard. October 30, 1977.
  9. ^ Palm Beach Post. December 4, 1977. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  10. ^ 2012 Notre Dame Football Supplement Retrieved 2017-Sep-03.
  11. ^ "Winners & Finalists". Rotary Club of Houston. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 2008.
  12. ^ "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008.
  13. ^ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards (Page 3)". The Walter Camp Foundation. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved 2008.
  14. ^ a b "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008.
  15. ^ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2008.
  16. ^ "Notre Dame NFL Draft History". uhnd.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved 2008.

  This article uses material from the Wikipedia page available here. It is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

1977_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team
 



 



Popular Products
 
Music Scenes
Popular Artists