1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football
1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 34–3 vs. Clemson
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	9–2–1
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Bob Leahy (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro I, split backs
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Johnson (1st season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

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 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Panthers competed in the Gator Bowl.

Schedule[edit]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	4:20 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame	No. 7	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 9–19	56,500
September 17	1:30 p.m.	William & Mary	No. 16	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 28–6
September 24	1:00 p.m.	at Temple		Temple Stadium Philadelphia, PA		W 76–0
October 1	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 16	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 45–7	24,881	^[2]
October 8	7:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Florida	No. 15	Florida Field Gainesville, FL		T 17–17	62,724	^[3]
October 15	1:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 17	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 34–17
October 22	1:30 p.m.	Syracuse	No. 14	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		W 28–21	43,551
October 29	1:30 p.m.	Tulane	No. 13	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 48–0	46,273	^[4]
November 5	1:30 p.m.	at West Virginia	No. 12	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)		W 44–3	37,031	^[5]
November 12	1:30 p.m.	vs. Army	No. 10	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ		W 52–26	35,387
November 26	1:30 p.m.	No. 9 Penn State	No. 10	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 13–15	56,500
December 30	9:00 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Clemson	No. 10	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ABC	W 34–3	72,289	^[6]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel[edit]

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB		Wayne Adams	Sr
C	`67`	Tom Brzoza	Sr
QB	`12`	Matt Cavanaugh	Sr
RB		Jo Jo Heath
WR		Gordon Jones
RB		Ray Jones
WR		Willie Taylor
QB		Rick Trocano
RB		Elliott Walker
QB		Yewcic	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB		Mike Balzer
DL	`99`	Hugh Green
DL		Randy Halloway
S		Bob Jury
DT	`76`	Bill Neill	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Joe Gasparovic
K		Mark Schubert

Head coach

Jackie Sherrill

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Larry Bielat (AdmA)
Don Boyce (OL)
Foge Fazio (LB)
Larry Holton (DB)
Jimmy Johnson (Ast HC/DC)
Bob Leahy (OC)
Bob Matey (DL)
Joe Moore (RB)
Otto Stowe (WR)
Dave Wannstedt (Str & Cond)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Season summary[edit]

Notre Dame[edit]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0)

Period	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

Team players drafted into the NFL[edit]

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Randy Holloway	Defensive end	1	21	Minnesota Vikings
Matt Cavanaugh	Quarterback	2	50	New England Patriots
Bob Jury	Defensive back	3	63	Seattle Seahawks
Elliott Walker	Running back	6	148	San Francisco 49ers
Randy Reutershan	Wide receiver	6	160	Pittsburgh Steelers
J.C. Wilson	Defensive back	8	210	Houston Oilers
Willie Taylor	Wide receiver	9	223	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brzoza	Center	11	300	Pittsburgh Steelers

^[7]

References[edit]

^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
^ "Panthers Overpower B.C., 45–7". The Pittsburgh Press. October 2, 1977. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Florida ties fumbling Pitt, 17–17". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pitt too much for Tulane, 48–0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 30, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pitt rolls by 44–3". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Hammond's record falls as Pitt mauls Clemson". Tallahassee Democrat. December 31, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.

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[1] ttps://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html

[2] "Panthers Overpower B.C., 45–7". The Pittsburgh Press. October 2, 1977. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Florida ties fumbling Pitt, 17–17". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Pitt too much for Tulane, 48–0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 30, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Pitt rolls by 44–3". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Hammond's record falls as Pitt mauls Clemson". Tallahassee Democrat. December 31, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.

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v t e Pittsburgh Panthers football
Venues	Recreation Park (1898–1899) Exposition Park (1900) Schenley Park (1901) Coliseum (1902–1903) Exposition Park (1904–1908) Forbes Field (1909–1924) Pitt Stadium (1925–1999) Three Rivers Stadium (2000) Acrisure Stadium (2001–present) UPMC Rooney Sports Complex (practice)
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People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold