1977 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season
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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,[1] 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.
Home stadiumPontiac Silverdome
| 1977 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| General manager | Russ Thomas |
| Head coach | Tommy Hudspeth |
| Home stadium | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
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
| 1977 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 42 | Walt Williams | CB | New Mexico State | |
| 3 | 69 | Rick Kane | RB | San Jose State | |
| 4 | 96 | Luther Blue | WR | Iowa State | |
| 5 | 114 | Ron Crosby | LB | Penn State | from Seattle |
| 6 | 166 | Reggie Pinkney | DB | East Carolina | from New England |
| 7 | 179 | Tim Black | LB | Baylor | |
| 8 | 209 | Mark Griffin | OT | North Carolina | |
| 9 | 236 | Steve Mathieson | QB | Florida State | |
| 10 | 236 | Gary Anderson | G | Stanford | |
| 11 | 293 | Tony Daykin | LB | Georgia Tech | |
| 12 | 320 | Dave Greenwood | G | Iowa State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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 / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18 | at Chicago Bears | L 30–20 | 0–1 | 51,530 |
| 2 | September 25 | New Orleans Saints | W 23–19 | 1–1 | 51,458 |
| 3 | October 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–13 | 2–1 | 57,236 |
| 4 | October 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 14–7 | 2–2 | 45,860 |
| 5 | October 16 | Green Bay Packers | W 10–6 | 3–2 | 78,452 |
| 6 | October 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 28–7 | 3–3 | 39,392 |
| 7 | October 30 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 37–0 | 3–4 | 63,160 |
| 8 | November 6 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–0 | 4–4 | 72,559 |
| 9 | November 13 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–6 | 4–5 | 47,461 |
| 10 | November 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 16–7 | 5–5 | 49,751 |
| 11 | November 24 | Chicago Bears | L 31–14 | 5–6 | 71,373 |
| 12 | December 4 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–9 | 5–7 | 56,267 |
| 13 | December 11 | at Baltimore Colts | W 13–10 | 6–7 | 45,124 |
| 14 | December 17 | Minnesota Vikings | L 30–21 | 6–8 | 78,572 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||
Game summaries
Week 3 vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3: Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Lions | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: October 2, 1977
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (CBS): Bob Costas and Nick Buoniconti
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs San Diego Chargers
Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: November 6
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
- Game attendance: 72,559
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9 at Atlanta Falcons
Week 9: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Michigan
- Date: November 13, 1977
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Overcast, 39 °F (4 °C)
- TV announcers (CBS): Bob Costas and Nick Buoniconti
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week Ten: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 49,751
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(3) | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–1 | 8–4 | 231 | 227 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears(4) | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–1 | 8–4 | 255 | 253 | W6 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 183 | 252 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–5 | 4–7 | 134 | 219 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–4 | 2–11 | 103 | 223 | W2 |