From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1977 Detroit Lions season

NFL team season

Field	Value
team	Detroit Lions
year	1977
record	6–8
division_place	3rd NFC Central
coach	Tommy Hudspeth
general_manager	Russ Thomas
owner	William Clay Ford Sr.
stadium	Pontiac Silverdome
playoffs	Did not qualify
pro_bowlers	None
AP All-pros	None
shortnavlink	Lions seasons

| AP All-pros = None

The 1977 Detroit Lions season was their 48th in the National Football League (NFL). The team matched their previous season's output of 6–8, and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season. The Lions struggled offensively, scoring a mere 183 points while finishing in third place with a 6–8 record for the second consecutive season.

The 1977 coaching staff included 25-year-old assistant special teams and offensive assistant coach Bill Belichick. Belichick would later win two Super Bowls in the 1986 and 1990 seasons as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, and six as head coach of the New England Patriots.

This would be the final season for head coach Tommy Hudspeth before he and his entire staff were fired. This would also be the final season for future Hall-of-Fame tight end Charlie Sanders before his retirement.

NFL draft

Main article: 1977 NFL draft

Notes

Detroit traded its first-round pick (12th) to Buffalo in exchange for WR J.D. Hill.
Detroit traded QB Bill Munson to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's fifth-round pick (114th).
Detroit traded its fifth-round pick (125th) to Pittsburgh in exchange for TE John McMakin.
Detroit traded its sixth-round pick (320th) and G Guy Dennis to San Diego in exchange for G Mark Markovich.
Detroit traded WR Marlin Briscoe to New England in exchange for a sixth-round pick (166th).

Undrafted free agents

Player	Position	College
Joe Harvey	Defensive tackle	Northern Michigan
Kevin McClain	Defensive back	Wyoming
John Stufllebeem	Punter	Navy
Bob Wood	Kicker	Michigan

Personnel

Staff

President – William Clay Ford Sr.
Executive Vice President and General Manager – Russ Thomas
Vice President and Assistant General Manager – Roger Lehew
Head coach – Tommy Hudspeth
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/receivers – Ed Hughes
Offensive backfield – Wally English
Offensive line – John Payne
Offensive assistant – Bill Belichick
Defensive coordinator/defensive line – Fritz Shurmur
Linebackers – Rollie Dotsch
Defensive backfield – Burnie Miller
Special teams – Floyd Reese
Assistant special teams – Bill Belichick
Strength and Conditioning – Floyd Reese

Roster

Schedule

Detroit Lions	year=1977	border=2}}"	Week	Detroit Lions
September 18	at [Chicago Bears](1977-chicago-bears-season)	L 30–20	0–1	51,530
September 25	[New Orleans Saints](1977-new-orleans-saints-season)	W 23–19	1–1	51,458
October 2	[Philadelphia Eagles](1977-philadelphia-eagles-season)	W 17–13	2–1	57,236
October 9	at [Minnesota Vikings](1977-minnesota-vikings-season)	L 14–7	2–2	45,860
October 16	[Green Bay Packers](1977-green-bay-packers-season)	W 10–6	3–2	78,452
October 23	at [San Francisco 49ers](1977-san-francisco-49ers-season)	L 28–7	3–3	39,392
October 30	at [Dallas Cowboys](1977-dallas-cowboys-season)	L 37–0	3–4	63,160
November 6	[San Diego Chargers](1977-san-diego-chargers-season)	W 20–0	4–4	72,559
November 13	at [Atlanta Falcons](1977-atlanta-falcons-season)	L 17–6	4–5	47,461
November 20	[Tampa Bay Buccaneers](1977-tampa-bay-buccaneers-season)	W 16–7	5–5	49,751
	[Chicago Bears](1977-chicago-bears-season)	L 31–14	5–6	71,373
December 4	at [Green Bay Packers](1977-green-bay-packers-season)	L 10–9	5–7	56,267
December 11	at [Baltimore Colts](1977-baltimore-colts-season)	W 13–10	6–7	45,124
	[Minnesota Vikings](1977-minnesota-vikings-season)	L 30–21	6–8	78,572
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 3 vs Philadelphia Eagles

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

;Top passers

PHI – Ron Jaworski – 13/24, 207 yards, 2 TD, INT
DET – Greg Landry – 13/18, 125 yards, 1 TD ;Top rushers
PHI – Mike Hogan – 20 rushes, 67 yards
DET – Horace King – 20 rushes, 68 yards ;Top receivers
PHI – Harold Carmichael – 4 receptions, 67 yards, TD
DET – Horace King – 7 receptions, 60 yards

Week 8: vs San Diego Chargers

First quarter

No scoring plays. Second quarter
No scoring plays. Third quarter
DET – Rick Kane 2-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 5:08. ''Lions 7–0. '''Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 7:10.''''' Fourth quarter
DET – Rick Kane 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 9:56. ''Lions 14–0. '''Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:09.'''''
DET – Marv Hubbard 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:57. ''Lions 20–0. '''Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:55.''''' Top passers
SDG – Bill Munson – 9/16, 90 yards
DET – Greg Landry – 5/7, 67 yards Top rushers
SDG – Joe Washington – 9 rushes, 54 yards
DET – Rick Kane – 24 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TD Top receivers
SDG – Rickey Young – 4 receptions, 48 yards
DET – Horace King – 3 receptions, 49 yards

Week 9 at Atlanta Falcons

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

;Top passers

DET – Greg Landry – 5/19, 59 yards, 2 INT
ATL – Steve Bartkowski – 6/16, 81 yards, 3 INT ;Top rushers
DET – Rick Kane – 30 rushes, 81 yards, TD
ATL – Haskel Stanback – 17 rushes, 59 yards ;Top receivers
DET – J. D. Hill – 3 receptions, 28 yards
ATL – Alfred Jenkins – 2 receptions, 30 yards

Week 10: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

First quarter

No scoring plays Second quarter
TB – Rickey Bell 4-yard run (Allan Leavitt kick). Buccaneers 7–0. Third quarter
DET – Steve Mike-Mayer 47-yard field goal. Buccaneers 7–3. Fourth quarter
DET – Rick Kane 1-yard run (kick failed). Lions 9–7.
DET – Reggie Pinkney 48-yard interception return (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). Lions 16–7. Top passers
TB – Jeb Blount – 4/12, 56 yards, INT
DET – Gary Danielson – 7/17, 80 yards, INT Top rushers
TB – Rickey Bell – 16 rushes, 59 yards, TD
DET – Rick Kane – 18 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers
TB – Isaac Hagins – 2 receptions, 57 yards
DET – J. D. Hill – 3 receptions, 32 yards

Standings

References

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/det/1977.htm 1977 Detroit Lions]
"1977 Detroit Lions Media Guide".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

detroit-lions-seasons 1977-nfl-season-by-team 1977-in-sports-in-michigan

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1977 Detroit Lions season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report