1977 Stanford Cardinals football team

1977 Stanford Cardinals football
Sun Bowl vs. LSU, W 24–14
Conference	Pacific-8 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 15
1977 record	9–3 (5–2 Pac-8)
Head coach	Bill Walsh
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium (c. 85,500, grass)
Seasons

1977 Pacific-8 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 10 Washington †		6	–	1					8	–	4
No. 15 Stanford		5	–	2					9	–	3
No. 13 USC		5	–	2					8	–	4
California		3	–	4					7	–	4
Washington State		3	–	4					6	–	5
Oregon		1	–	6					2	–	9
Oregon State		0	–	7					2	–	9
UCLA †		0	–	7					0	–	11
† – Conference champion † – UCLA forfeited 7 wins (5 conference wins) due to ineligible players. Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University during the 1977 college football season. Bill Walsh served his first season as Stanford's head coach. The Cardinals were led by senior quarterback Guy Benjamin, who won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded to the best passer in college football; senior receiver James Lofton, who caught 57 passes for 1,010 yards and 14 TDs and was named an AP and NEA Second Team All-American; junior linebacker Gordy Ceresino, and freshman running back Darrin Nelson. Stanford ended its season with a 9–3 record, good enough for second place in the Pac-8, and went on to defeat LSU in the Sun Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 10*	at #12 Colorado		Folsom Field • Boulder, CO	L 21–27	50,482
September 17*	at Tulane		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 21–17	30,482
September 24*	Illinois		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 37–24	50,500
October 1	Oregon		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 20–10	36,500
October 8	UCLA		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 32–28	64,500
October 15	at Washington		Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 21–45	46,529
October 22	Washington State		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 31–29	47,500
October 29	at Oregon State		Parker Stadium • Corvallis, OR	W 26–7	20,196
November 5	at #16 USC		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 0–49	65,101
November 12*	San Jose State		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 31–26	39,000
November 19	California		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (80th Big Game)	W 21–3	87,500
December 31*	vs. LSU		Sun Bowl Stadium • El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	W 24–14	30,621
*Non-Conference Game.

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
James Lofton	Wide Receiver	1	6	Green Bay Packers
Gordon King	Tackle	1	10	New York Giants
Guy Benjamin	Quarterback	2	51	Miami Dolphins
Bill Kellar	Wide Receiver	7	184	Kansas City Chiefs

Awards and honors

• Guy Benjamin, Sammy Baugh Trophy
• James Lofton, AP and NEA Second Team All-American selection