NFL team season
The Cowboys and Broncos in Super Bowl XII The 1977 Dallas Cowboys season was their 18th in the National Football League (NFL). The club appeared twice on Monday Night Football Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and became the second member of the Cowboys (first since 1973 ) to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. Dallas scored 345 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while its defense only gave up 212 points. Dallas finished with a 12–2 record (tied with 1968 for the best record in the Landry era). The Cowboys made it to their fourth Super Bowl and beat the Denver Broncos to capture their second Super Bowl title. They were the first team from the NFC East Division to win two Super Bowls. Their 15–2 (.882) record (including the postseason) remains the highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history. The Cowboys became the 4th team in NFL history to win two Super Bowls, joining the Packers, Dolphins, and Steelers.
As in 1975 , the Cowboys did not play this season on Thanksgiving , again replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals .
The 1977 Cowboys ranked #17 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.[ 1] [ 2]
To improve their running game, the Cowboys orchestrated a big trade with the Seattle Seahawks , moving up in the NFL draft to acquire running back Tony Dorsett , the Heisman Trophy winner from national champion
Pittsburgh .[ 3]
With the retirement of Lee Roy Jordan , Bob Breunig became the starting middle linebacker , Randy White was moved to defensive tackle , and Thomas Henderson became a starter at strongside linebacker , turning the defense into a dominant unit.
[ 4]
Undrafted free agents [ edit ] December 4, 1977 – Tony Dorsett becomes the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dorsett had 23 rushes for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns including an 84-yard touchdown run which was the longest during the 1977 NFL season .
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Game Site
Attendance
Recap
1
September 18
at Minnesota Vikings
W 16–10 (OT)
1–0
Metropolitan Stadium
47,678
Recap
2
September 25
New York Giants W 41–21
2–0
Texas Stadium
64,215
Recap
3
October 2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
W 23–7
3–0
Texas Stadium
55,316
Recap
4
October 9
at St. Louis Cardinals
W 30–24
4–0
Busch Memorial Stadium
50,129
Recap
5
October 16
Washington Redskins W 34–16
5–0
Texas Stadium
62,115
Recap
6
October 23
at Philadelphia Eagles
W 16–10
6–0
Veterans Stadium
65,507
Recap
7
October 30
Detroit Lions
W 37–0
7–0
Texas Stadium
63,160
Recap
8
November 6
at New York Giants
W 24–10
8–0
Giants Stadium
74,532
Recap
9
St. Louis Cardinals L 17–24
8–1
Texas Stadium
64,038
Recap
10
November 20
at Pittsburgh Steelers
L 13–28
8–2
Three Rivers Stadium
49,761
Recap
11
November 27
at Washington Redskins
W 14–7
9–2
RFK Stadium
55,031
Recap
12
December 4
Philadelphia Eagles W 24–14
10–2
Texas Stadium
60,289
Recap
13
at San Francisco 49ers
W 42–35
11–2
Candlestick Park
55,851
Recap
14
December 18
Denver Broncos
W 14–6
12–2
Texas Stadium
63,752
Recap
Division opponents are in bold text
Dallas Cowboys 1977 roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics
Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
MIN – Chuck Foreman 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal Fourth quarter
DAL – Preston Pearson 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal Overtime
DAL – Roger Staubach 4-yard run (no PAT attempt)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/30, 196 yds, TD, lng 23, rate 90.4
MIN – Fran Tarkenton 13/32, 182 yds, TD, 3 INT, lng 25, rate 31.0 Rushing
DAL – Preston Pearson 15 att, 63 yds, lng 22
MIN – Chuck Foreman 22 att, 66 yds, lng 9 Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 57 yds, lng 23
MIN – Chuck Foreman 5 rec, 56 yds, TD, lng 20 Defense
DAL - Cliff Harris 2 INT
DAL - Thomas Henderson 1 INT Kick returns
DAL - Butch Johnson 2 rt, 69 yds, 34.5 y/rt
DAL - Larry Brinson 1 rt, 15 yds, 15.0 y/rt
MIN - Brent McClanahan 2 rt, 40 yds, 20.0 y/rt
MIN - Robert Miller 1 rt, 12 yds, 12.0 y/rt Punt returns
DAL - Butch Johnson 4 rt, 28 yds, 7.0 y/rt
MIN - Bob Grim 3 rt, 10 yds, 3.3 y/rt Kicking
DAL - Efrén Herrera 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA
MIN - Fred Cox 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA Punting
DAL - Danny White 9 pnts, 352 yds, 39.1 y/pnt
MIN - Neil Clabo 5 pnts, 177 yds, 35.4 y/pnt
Week 2: vs. New York Giants [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Roger Staubach 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 10-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Second quarter
DAL – Doug Dennison 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Willie Spencer 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 37-yard field goal Third quarter
NYG – Bobby Hammond 68-yard punt return (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 41-yard field goal
NYG – Doug Kotar 3-yard run (Joe Danelo kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 34-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Defense
Kick returns
DAL - Larry Brinson 2 rt, 43 yds, 21.5 y/rt
NYG - Bobby Hammond 3 rt, 85 yds, 28.3 y/rt
NYG - Gordon Bell 2 rt, 48 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Emery Moorehead 1 rt, 24 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Beasley Reece 1 rt, 16 yds, 16.0 y/rt Punt returns
Kicking
Punting
Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Passing
TB – Gary Huff 8/23, 107 yards, 2 INT, lng 30, rate 14.2
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/24, 212 yards, INT, lng 24, rate 73.6 Rushing
Receiving
Defense
Kick returns
Punt returns
Kicking
Punting
Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
STL – Jim Bakken 32-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 29-yard field goal
STL – Terry Metcalf 62-yard run (Jim Bakken kick) Second quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 77-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
STL – Mel Gray 60-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal Third quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
STL – Charles Davis 35-yard fumble return (Jim Bakken kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Golden Richards 17-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 153 yards, TD, lng 17, rate 87.3
STL – Jim Hart 9/32, 186 yards, TD, 2 INT, lng 60, rate 35.7
STL - Terry Metcalf 1/2, 9 yards, lng 9, rate 62.5 Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 14 att, 141 yards, 2 TD, lng 77
STL – Terry Metcalf 10 att, 79 yards, TD, lng 32 Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 55 yards, lng 12
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 84 yards, TD, lng 60 Defense
DAL - Cliff Harris INT, 7 yards, lng 7
DAL - Charlie Waters INT, 3 yards, lng 3
Week 5: vs. Washington Redskins [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
WSH – Mark Moseley 25-yard field goal
WSH – Mark Moseley 40-yard field goal Second quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 50-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
WSH – Clarence Harmon 1-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Third quarter
WSH – Mark Moseley 53-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 52-yard field goal Fourth quarter
DAL – Drew Pearson 59-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 6-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
WSH – Billy Kilmer 4/15, 45 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/28, 250 yards, 2 TD Rushing
WSH – Mike Thomas 15 att, 46 yards
DAL – Robert Newhouse 17 att, 71 yards, 2 TD Receiving
WSH – Charley Taylor 2 rec, 32 yards
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 157 yards, TD
Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles [ edit ]
Game information
Second quarter
PHI – Charlie Smith 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5-yard run (kick failed) Fourth quarter
DAL – Charlie Waters 17-yard punt return (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 18-yard field goal
PHI – Horst Muhlmann 32-yard field goal
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/26, 172 yards
PHI – Ron Jaworski 10/23, 104 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards, TD
PHI – Tom Sullivan 13 att, 61 yards Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 54 yards
PHI – Keith Krepfle 3 rec, 40 yards
Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 45-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 14-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Scott Laidlaw 18-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 30-yard field goal Third quarter
DAL – Jay Saldi 1-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Larry Brinson 20-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DET – Joe Reed 6/16, 75 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 16/25, 179 yards, 3 TD Rushing
DET – Horace King 8 att, 26 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards Receiving
DET – Rick Kane 2 rec, 30 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5 rec, 48 yards
Week 8: at New York Giants [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Jay Saldi 8-yard fumble return (Efrén Herrera kick) Second quarter
NYG – Joe Danelo 51-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 5-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Bobby Hammond 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 35-yard field goal
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 14/25, 190 yards, TD
NYG – Joe Pisarcik 6/17, 61 yards, INT Rushing
DAL – Robert Newhouse 11 att, 41 yards
NYG – Larry Csonka 15 att, 47 yards Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 3 rec, 89 yards
NYG – Johnny Perkins 4 rec, 34 yards
Week 9: vs. St. Louis Cardinals [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
STL – Jim Bakken 26-yard field goal Second quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 2-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Third quarter
STL – Wayne Morris 1-yard run (Jim Bakken kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal
STL – Mel Gray 49-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
STL – Jackie Smith 3-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
Passing
STL – Jim Hart 10/24, 141 yards, 2 TD, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 11/20, 102 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing
STL – Wayne Morris 21 att, 72 yards, TD
DAL – Robert Newhouse 12 att, 61 yards Receiving
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 76 yards, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 45 yards
Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13-yard run (kick failed) Second quarter
PIT – Franco Harris 61-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
DAL – Jay Saldi 23-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
PIT – Lynn Swann 9-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) Third quarter
PIT – John Stallworth 28-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
PIT – Franco Harris 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/26, 230 yards, TD, 2 INT
PIT – Terry Bradshaw 7/12, 106 yards, 2 TD Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 73 yards, TD
PIT – Franco Harris 29 att, 179 yards, 2 TD Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 3 rec, 45 yards
PIT – John Stallworth 4 rec, 46 yards, TD
Week 11: at Washington Redskins [ edit ]
Quarter
Total
Cowboys 0
0
7 7 14
Redskins
0
7
0 0 7
at RFK Stadium , Washington, D.C.
Game information
Second quarter
WSH – Joe Theismann 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Third quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 4-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 10/24, 138 yards, TD, INT
WSH – Joe Theismann 17/35, 231 yards, INT Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 19 att, 64 yards, TD
WSH – Calvin Hill 4 att, 44 yards Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 79 yards
WSH – Frank Grant 6 rec, 89 yards
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick) Second quarter
PHI – Mike Hogan 51-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Drew Pearson 16-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Third quarter
PHI – Harold Carmichael 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 24-yard field goal Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 84-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
PHI – Ron Jaworski 18/32, 199 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 13/26, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing
PHI – Mike Hogan 6 att, 25 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 23 att, 206 yards, 2 TD Receiving
PHI – Mike Hogan 3 rec, 59 yards, TD
DAL – Preston Pearson 3 rec, 70 yards
Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers [ edit ]
Quarter
Total
Cowboys 0
21
7 14 42
49ers
7
7
7 14 35
at Candlestick Park , San Francisco
Game information
First quarter
SF – Bob Ferrell 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick) Second quarter
DAL – Roger Staubach 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 36-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Kenny Harrison 10-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 21-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Gene Washington 27-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Butch Johnson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Devlin Williams 1-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 3-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Paul Seal 47-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
Passing
DAL -Roger Staubach 14/19, 220 yards, 3 TD
SF – Jim Plunkett 15/29, 263 yards, 4 TD Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20 att, 92 yards, TD
SF – Delvin Williams 17 att, 44 yards Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 61 yards
SF – Gene Washington 5 rec, 130 yards, TD
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Preston Pearson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick) Third quarter
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DEN – Jim Turner 22-yard field goal Fourth quarter
DEN – Jim Turner 37-yard field goal
Passing
DEN – Norris Weese 10/19, 94 yards
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/20, 160 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing
DEN – Norris Weese 6 att, 33 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 50 yards Receiving
DEN – Jack Dolbin 5 rec, 85 yards
DAL – Preston Pearson 6 rec, 48 yards, TD
NFC Divisional Playoff [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Doug Dennison 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick) Second quarter
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 28-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 23-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 31-yard field goal
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 27-yard field goal
CHI – Steve Schubert 34-yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
Passing
CHI – Bob Avellini 15/25, 177 yds, TD, 4 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 8/13, 134 yds, TD, INT Rushing
CHI – Walter Payton 19 att, 60 yds
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 85 yds, 2 TD Receiving
CHI – Steve Schubert 5 rec, 69 yds, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 38 yds
NFC Championship Game [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 32-yard pass from Roger Staubach (kick failed) Second quarter
DAL – Robert Newhouse 5-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal
MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
MIN – Bob Lee 14/31, 158 yds, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 12/23, 165 yds, TD, INT Rushing
MIN – Chuck Foreman 21 att, 59 yds
DAL – Robert Newhouse 15 att, 81 yds, TD Receiving
MIN – Sammy White 3 rec, 46 yds
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 62 yds
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 3-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 35-yard field goal Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 43-yard field goal Third quarter
DEN – Jim Turner 47-yard field goal
DAL – Butch Johnson 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DEN – Rob Lytle 1-yard run (Jim Turner kick) Fourth quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 29-yard pass from Robert Newhouse (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 17/25, 183 yds, TD
DEN – Craig Morton 4/15, 39 yds, 4 INT Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 15 att, 66 yds, TD
DEN – Rob Lytle 10 att, 35 yds, TD Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 66 yds
DEN – Jack Dolbin 2 rec, 24 yds
With an improved offense and defense, the Cowboys finished with a 12–2 regular season record, breezing through the playoffs by beating the Chicago Bears 37–7 in the divisional round, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23–6 in the NFC Championship Game and winning Super Bowl XII 27–10 against the Denver Broncos .
Dorsett set a franchise rookie record with 1,007 rushing yards. Defensive end Harvey Martin had one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL player. In a 14-game season he totaled 85 tackles and an estimated league-leading 23 sacks [ 5] Michael Strahan 's 22.5 record in 16 games), he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year , a consensus All-Pro selection, was a key player in the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XII , and a co-MVP of the game with Randy White .
Tony Dorsett, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
Tony Dorsett, All-Pro Selection
Efrén Herrera, Five Field Goals Attempted in one Super Bowl game, Super Bowl record
Harvey Martin, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
Harvey Martin, NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Harvey Martin, Led NFL, Sacks (23)
Drew Pearson , Led NFL Receiving Yards (870)Drew Pearson, All-Pro Selection
Drew Pearson, Pro Bowl Selection
Roger Staubach , All-Pro SelectionRoger Staubach, Pro Bowl Selection
Roger Staubach, Led NFC, Touchdown Passes (18)
Roger Staubach, NFC Passing Leader
Randy White, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
Led NFC, Points Scored (345)
Led NFC, Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed (1,651)
Led NFL, Fewest Total Yards Allowed (3,213)
Led NFL, Total Yards, (4,812)
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (25) Conference championships (10) League championships (5) Media Current league affiliations
