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1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

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1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Consensus national champion
Cotton Bowl champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 38–10 vs. Texas
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
1977 record11–1
Head coachDan Devine (3rd season)
Offensive coordinatorMerv Johnson (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro set
Defensive coordinatorJoe Yonto
Base defense4–3
CaptainTerry Eurick
CaptainWillie Fry
CaptainSteve Orsini
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
Seasons
← 1976
1978 →

Template:1977 Division I Independents football records 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.[1] 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 .[2] Devine returned a highly touted defense, featuring 1976 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, defensive end Willie Fry, and All-American linebacker Bob Golic.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[3] The Irish rebounded to win their remaining games, including a 49–19 rout of USC in the now famous "Green Jersey Game."[3] 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.[2] The Irish leaped four spots in the polls after the Cotton Bowl Classic victory to claim the consensus title.[2]

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[]

1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 87 Czaja, MarkMark Czaja So
WR 1 Dickerson, TyTy Dickerson Fr
RB 26 Domin, TomTom Domin
RB 40 Eurick, TerryTerry Eurick
RB 32 Ferguson, VagasVagas Ferguson So
T 73 Foley, TimTim Foley So
WR 82 Haines, KrisKris Haines Jr
TE 97 Hart, KevinKevin Hart
WR 85 Hart, SpeedySpeedy Hart Jr
C 63 Hautman, JimJim Hautman
RB 30 Heavens, JeromeJerome Heavens
G 66 Horansky, TedTed Horansky
C 56 Huffman, DaveDave Huffman Jr
T 78 Huffman, TimTim Huffman Fr
G 65 Hughes, ErnieErnie Hughes Sr
RB 21 Knott, DanDan Knott Sr
QB 14 Koegel, TimTim Koegel Fr
G 69 Leon, JohnJohn Leon
QB 6 Lisch, RustyRusty Lisch So
TE 81 MacAfee, KenKen MacAfee Sr
T 75 Martinovich, RobRob Martinovich So
T 71 McDaniels, SteveSteve McDaniels Sr
G 60 Meyer, HowardHoward Meyer Jr
RB 44 Mitchell, DaveDave Mitchell
QB 3 Montana, JoeJoe Montana Jr
C 50 Murphy, TerryTerry Murphy
RB 14 Orsini, SteveSteve Orsini
RB 45 Pallas, PetePete Pallas Jr
RB 19 Schmitz, SteveSteve Schmitz Sr
RB 42 Stone, JimJim Stone
T 67 Tull, BobBob Tull Sr
G 59 Vinson, DaveDave Vinson
RB 34 Waymer, DaveDave Waymer So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 43 Becker, DougDoug Becker Sr
CB 24 Boushka, DickDick Boushka
CB 20 Bradley, LutherLuther Bradley Sr
SS 33 Browner, JimJim Browner Jr
DE 89 Browner, RossRoss Browner Sr
CB 18 Burgmeier, TedTed Burgmeier
DT 77 Calhoun, MikeMike Calhoun Jr
DT 75 Case, JayJay Case Jr
SS 28 Christensen, RossRoss Christensen Sr
CB 16 DeCicco, NickNick DeCicco
DT 79 Dike, KenKen Dike Sr
CB 23 Flynn, TomTom Flynn Jr
DE 94 Fry, WillieWillie Fry
FS 27 Gibbons, TomTom Gibbons Fr
LB 55 Golic, BobBob Golic Jr
LB 47 Hankerd, JohnJohn Hankerd
FS 10 Harrison, RandyRandy Harrison Jr
LB 58 Heimkreiter, SteveSteve Heimkreiter Jr
SS, QB 31 Holohan, PetePete Holohan Fr
LB 51 Johnson, PetePete Johnson
SS 29 Johnson, PhilPhil Johnson Jr
LB 61 Leopold, BobbyBobby Leopold So
CB 9 Morse, JimJim Morse
DE 72 Rayam, HardyHardy Rayam
FS 7 Restic, JoeJoe Restic Jr
DE 88 VanDenburgh, TomTom VanDenburgh So
DT 74 Weston, JeffJeff Weston
LB 54 Whittington, MikeMike Whittington So
DT 68 Wroblewski, TomTom Wroblewski So
DE 70 Zettek, ScottScott Zettek So
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 4 Muno, KevinKevin Muno So
K 13 Reeve, DaveDave Reeve Sr
P 7 Restic, JoeJoe Restic Jr
K 99 Unis, JoeJoe Unis
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Game summaries[]

Pittsburgh[]

Wiki letter w.svg This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

Ole Miss[]

See also: 1977 Ole Miss Rebels football team
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 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
  • Game weather: Sunny • 90°F
  • Game attendance: 48,200
  • [4]

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

Purdue[]

See also: 1977 Purdue Boilermakers football team and Shillelagh Trophy (Notre Dame–Purdue)
by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
• Notre Dame 0 14 0 17 31
Purdue 10 14 0 0 24

[5]

Michigan State[]

Michigan St at #14 Notre Dame
by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan St 3 0 3 0 6
• Notre Dame 0 10 6 0 16

Army[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Army 0 0 0 0 0
• Notre Dame 0 7 10 7 24
  • ND: Jerome Heavens 34 Rush, 200 Yds (single game school record - Sitko 1948 vs. Michigan St)[6]


USC[]

See also: 1977 USC Trojans football team and Jeweled Shillelagh
by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
USC 0 7 0 12 19
• Notre Dame 7 15 13 14 49

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

[7]

Navy[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Navy 0 0 3 7 10
• Notre Dame 7 9 14 13 43
  • Date: October 29
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
  • Game attendance: 59,075

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the second straight week.

[8]

Georgia Tech[]

Wiki letter w.svg This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

Clemson[]

Air Force[]

Wiki letter w.svg This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

Miami (FL)[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
• Notre Dame 14 6 21 7 48
Miami (FL) 0 10 0 0 10
  • Date: December 3
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game attendance: 35,789

[9]

Texas (Cotton Bowl)[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
• Notre Dame 3 21 7 7 38
Texas 3 7 0 0 10
  • Location: Cotton Bowl
  • Game attendance: 76,701
  • Game weather: Sunny; 35°F
Main article: 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic
See also: 1977 Texas Longhorns football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
5–2 1971 W 24–11

[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:[1]

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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07fbguidehistory. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 164)". und.cstv.com. http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Football-Supplement-07. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Walters, John (July 21, 2004). Notre Dame Golden Moments. Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-59186-042-3.
  4. ↑ "Ole Miss Rough On Irish." Palm Beach Post. 1977 Sept 18.] Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  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. https://web.archive.org/web/20090108234922/http://www.rotarylombardiaward.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=25&Itemid=59. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  12. ↑ "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214100520/http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/maxwell/past_maxwell.htm. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards (Page 3)". The Walter Camp Foundation. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. https://www.webcitation.org/5nICzeqTd?url=http://waltercamp.org/index.php/teams_and_awards/awards/P200/. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Heisman Voting". Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081217101247/http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/nd-m-footbl-archive.html. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Notre Dame NFL Draft History". Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090106064031/http://uhnd.com/history/notre-dame-nfl-draft-history/. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
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