| 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| National Champions | |||
| Win in Cotton Bowl Classic, vs. Texas, 38-10 | |||
| Conference | NCAA Division I-A Independent Schools | ||
| Ranking | |||
| Coaches | #1 | ||
| AP | #1 | ||
| 1977 record | 11-1-0 ( Independent) | ||
| Head coach | Dan Devine | ||
| Offensive coordinator | Merv Johnson | ||
| Offensive scheme | Wishbone | ||
| Defensive coordinator | Joe Yonto | ||
| Base defense | 4-3 | ||
|
Home stadium |
Notre Dame Stadium (c. 59,075, grass) | ||
Seasons
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The 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1977 college football season. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, ended the season with 11 wins and 1 loss, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and #1 ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas by a score of a 38-10.[1] The 1977 squad became the tenth Irish team to win the national title, led by the quarterback play of junior Joe Montana and defensive play of '76 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner.[1]
Contents |
Season
Dan Devine entered his third year as head coach, coming off of a 9-3 season and 20-9 Gator Bowl win over Penn State the previous year.[2] Devine returned a highly touted defense, featuring 1976 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, defensive end Willie Fry, and a linebacking corps featuring All-American 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-America tight end Ken MacAfee.[2] Montana, who would earn a reputation as "the comeback kid", had two come from behind victories in the 4th 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 what they were accustomed to with coach Ara Parseghian.[3] The Irish rebounded to win their remaining games, including a 49-19 rout of Southern Cal in the now famous "Green Jersey Game."[3] The Irish earned a Cotton Bowl Classic berth, where they defeated #1 and unbeaten Texas by 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
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/10/1977 | at #7 Pittsburgh | #3 | Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA | W 19-9 | |||
| 09/17/1977 | vs. Mississippi | #3 | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS | L 13-20 | |||
| 09/24/1977 | at Purdue | #11 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | W 31-24 | |||
| 10/01/1977 | Michigan State | #14 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 16-6 | |||
| 10/15/1977 | at Army | #11 | Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ | W 24-0 | |||
| 10/22/1977 | #5 USC | #11 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 49-19 | |||
| 10/29/1977 | Navy | #5 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 43-10 | |||
| 11/05/1977 | Georgia Tech | #5 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 69-14 | |||
| 11/12/1977 | at #15 Clemson | #5 | Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC | W 21-17 | |||
| 11/19/1977 | Air Force | #6 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 49-0 | |||
| 12/03/1977 | at Miami (Fla.) | #5 | Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL | W 48-10 | |||
| 01/02/1978 | vs. #1 Texas | #5 | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | W 38-10 | |||
| #Rankings from AP. | |||||||
Roster
*Bold denotes starter. Reserves: Offense: T — John Scully; G — Tom Wroblewski; C — Mark Quinn; QB — Gary Forystek, Greg Knafelc; HB — Mike Courey, Steve Dover; KS — Kevin Muno; SE — Leo Driscoll, Dennis Grindinger; Defense: E — Rob Bush, John Thomas; LB — Pat Boggs, Bob Duncan; DB — Frank Bleyer, Rick Buehner, Mike Geers; (DNP) — John Driscoll Sources:http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Football-Supplement-07 |
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Devine | Head Coach | 3rd |
| Merv Johnson | Offensive Coordinator Offensive Line |
3rd |
| Brian Boulac | Recruiting Coordinator Offensive Line |
8th |
| Hank Kuhlmann | Offensive Backs Special Teams |
3rd |
| Ron Toman | Quarterbacks Receivers |
3rd |
| Tony Yelovich | Guards and Centers | 3rd |
| Joe Yonto | Defensive Coordinator Defensive Line |
14th |
| Jim Johnson | Defensive Backs | 2nd |
| George Kelly | Linebackers | 9th |
| Francis Peay | Junior Varsity | 1st |
| Ross Stephenson | Scouting Volunteer Assistant |
3rd |
Post-season
Award winners
Heisman Voting
- Ken MacAfee, 3rd[7]
- Ross Browner, 5th[7]
All-Americans
College Football Hall of Fame Inductees
[8] Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted. 1978 NFL Draft
See alsoReferences
External links
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