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.
Contents
1 Season
2 Schedule
3 Roster
4 Game summaries
4.1 Pittsburgh
4.2 Ole Miss
4.3 Purdue
4.4 Michigan State
4.5 Army
4.6 USC
4.7 Navy
4.8 Georgia Tech
4.9 Clemson
4.10 Air Force
4.11 Miami (FL)
4.12 Texas (Cotton Bowl)
5 Post-season
5.1 Award winners
5.2 1978 NFL Draft
6 References
Season[edit]
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[edit]
Date
Time
Opponent
Rank
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
September 10
3:50 p.m.
at No. 7 Pittsburgh
No. 3
Pitt Stadium
Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)
ABC
W 19–9
56,500
September 17
2:30 p.m.
vs. Ole Miss
No. 3
Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
L 13–20
48,200
September 24
2:30 p.m.
at Purdue
No. 11
Ross–Ade Stadium
West Lafayette, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)
W 31–24
68,966
October 1
2:30 p.m.
Michigan State
No. 14
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN (Megaphone Trophy)
W 16–6
59,075
October 15
1:30 p.m.
vs. Army
No. 11
Giants Stadium
East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)
W 24–0
72,594
October 22
1:50 p.m.
No. 5 USC
No. 11
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh)
ABC
W 49–19
59,075
October 29
2:30 p.m.
Navy
No. 5
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 43–10
59,075
November 5
1:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech
No. 5
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
W 69–14
59,075
November 12
1:30 p.m.
at No. 15 Clemson
No. 5
Memorial Stadium
Clemson, SC
W 21–17
54,189
November 19
1:30 p.m.
Air Force
No. 6
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
W 49–0
59,075
December 3
8:00 p.m.
at Miami
No. 5
Miami Orange Bowl
Miami, FL
W 48–10
35,789
January 2, 1978
2:00 p.m.
vs. No. 1 Texas
No. 5
Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)
CBS
W 38–10
76,701
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
All times are in Eastern time
Roster[edit]
1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
TE
87
Mark Czaja
So
WR
1
Ty Dickerson
Fr
RB
26
Tom Domin
RB
40
Terry Eurick
RB
32
Vagas Ferguson
So
T
73
Tim Foley
So
WR
82
Kris Haines
Jr
TE
97
Kevin Hart
WR
85
Speedy Hart
Jr
C
63
Jim Hautman
RB
30
Jerome Heavens
G
66
Ted Horansky
C
56
Dave Huffman
Jr
T
78
Tim Huffman
Fr
G
65
Ernie Hughes
Sr
QB
1
Greg Knafelc
Fr
RB
21
Dan Knott
Sr
QB
14
Tim Koegel
Fr
G
69
John Leon
QB
6
Rusty Lisch
So
TE
81
Ken MacAfee
Sr
T
75
Rob Martinovich
So
T
71
Steve McDaniels
Sr
G
60
Howard Meyer
Jr
RB
44
Dave Mitchell
QB
3
Joe Montana
Jr
C
50
Terry Murphy
RB
14
Steve Orsini
RB
45
Pete Pallas
Jr
RB
19
Steve Schmitz
Sr
RB
42
Jim Stone
T
67
Bob Tull
Sr
G
59
Dave Vinson
RB
34
Dave Waymer
So
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
LB
43
Doug Becker
Sr
CB
24
Dick Boushka
CB
20
Luther Bradley
Sr
SS
33
Jim Browner
Jr
DE
89
Ross Browner
Sr
CB
18
Ted Burgmeier
DT
77
Mike Calhoun
Jr
DT
75
Jay Case
Jr
SS
28
Ross Christensen
Sr
CB
16
Nick DeCicco
DT
79
Ken Dike
Sr
CB
23
Tom Flynn
Jr
DE
94
Willie Fry
FS
27
Tom Gibbons
Fr
LB
55
Bob Golic
Jr
LB
47
John Hankerd
FS
10
Randy Harrison
Jr
LB
58
Steve Heimkreiter
Jr
SS, QB
31
Pete Holohan
Fr
LB
51
Pete Johnson
SS
29
Phil Johnson
Jr
LB
61
Bobby Leopold
So
CB
9
Jim Morse
DE
72
Hardy Rayam
FS
7
Joe Restic
Jr
DE
88
Tom VanDenburgh
So
DT
74
Jeff Weston
Jr
LB
54
Mike Whittington
So
DT
68
Tom Wroblewski
So
DE
70
Scott Zettek
So
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
4
Kevin Muno
So
K
13
Dave Reeve
Sr
P
7
Joe Restic
Jr
K
99
Joe Unis
Head coach
Dan Devine
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Game summaries[edit]
Pittsburgh[edit]
See also: 1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Notre Dame–Pittsburgh football rivalry
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0)
1
2
3
4
Total
Notre Dame
0
6
0
13
19
Pittsburgh
7
2
0
0
9
at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date: September 10, 1977
Game attendance: 56,500
TV: ABC
Recap
Game information
First quarter
PITT – Gordon Jones 12-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Mark Schubert kick). Pitt 7–0. Drive:
Second quarter
PITT – Safety, Joe Restic tackled in end zone. Pitt 9–0.
ND – Ken MacAfee 5-yard pass from Rusty Lisch (kick blocked). Pitt 9–6. Drive:
Fourth quarter
ND – Dave Reeve 35-yard field goal. Tie 9–9. Drive:
ND – Dave Reeve 26-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–9. Drive:
ND - Terry Eurick 4-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 19–9. Drive:
Top rushers
ND – Jerome Heavens – 88 yards
Ole Miss[edit]
See also: 1977 Ole Miss Rebels football team
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0) at Ole Miss Rebels
1
2
3
4
Total
Notre Dame
0
7
0
6
13
Ole Miss
3
7
0
10
20
at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Mississippi
Date: September 17, 1977
Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 48,200
Recap
Game information
First quarter
MISS – Carl Langley 29-yard field goal. Ole Miss 3–0. Drive: 64 yards.
^ 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 December 29, 2008.
^ a b c d e f"2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 164)". und.cstv.com. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
^ a bWalters, John (July 21, 2004). Notre Dame Golden Moments. Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-59186-042-3.
^"Irish looking to Heavens: He responds with record." Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Oct 16. Retrieved 2017-Sep-02.
^"Green Irish thump Trojans." Eugene Register-Guard. October 23, 1977.
^"Irish wear green and don't need it, 43-10." Eugene Register-Guard. October 30, 1977.
^Palm Beach Post. December 4, 1977. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
^2012 Notre Dame Football Supplement Retrieved 2017-Sep-03.
^"Winners & Finalists". Rotary Club of Houston. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^"The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^"Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards (Page 3)". The Walter Camp Foundation. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ a b"Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^"Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^"Notre Dame NFL Draft History". uhnd.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
vte1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football—consensus national champions
Doug Becker
Luther Bradley
Jim Browner
Ross Browner
Mike Calhoun
Mike Courey
Vagas Ferguson
Tim Foley
Willie Fry
Bob Golic
Kris Haines
Jerome Heavens
Steve Heimkreiter
Pete Holohan
Dave Huffman
Tim Huffman
Ernie Hughes
Greg Knafelc
Bobby Leopold
Rusty Lisch
Ken MacAfee
Joe Montana
Jim Stone
Jeff Weston
Dave Waymer
Mike Whittington
Head coach: Dan Devine
Assistant coaches: Jim Johnson
Merv Johnson
Hank Kuhlmann
Francis Peay
Ron Toman
Joe Yonto
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National championship seasons in bold
vteCollege football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949
1936: Minnesota (AP, DS) / Pittsburgh (HS)
1937: Pittsburgh (AP, DS, HS) / California
1938: TCU (AP) / Tennessee (HS) / Notre Dame (DS)
1939: Texas A&M (AP, HS) / USC (DS)
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