1977 Washington State Cougars football team
American college football season
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The 1977 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In their only season under head coach Warren Powers, the Cougars compiled a 6–5 record (3–4 in Pac-8, tied for fourth), and outscored their opponents 263 to 236.[1][2]
- Warren Powers (1st season)
| 1977 Washington State Cougars football | |
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| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Record | 6–5 (3–4 Pac-8) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Martin Stadium, Joe Albi Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Washington $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Stanford | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 USC | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA † | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included Jack Thompson with 2,372 passing yards, Dan Doornink with 591 rushing yards, and Mike Levenseller with 736 receiving yards.[3]
The Cougars opened the season with an upset win at fifteenth-ranked Nebraska.[4][5]
Previously an assistant with the Huskers,[6][7][8] Powers left after just twelve months in Pullman for Missouri of the Big Eight Conference.[9][10][11] His predecessor in 1976, Jackie Sherrill, also lasted just one season with the Cougars. Offensive backfield coach Jim Walden was promoted to head coach less than a week later,[12][13][14] and led the WSU program for nine years.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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| September 10 | at No. 15 Nebraska* | W 19–10 | 75,922 | [15] | ||
| September 17 | at Michigan State* | W 23–21 | 50,263 | [16] | ||
| September 24 | at Kansas* | No. 15 | L 12–14 | 44,540 | [17] | |
| September 30 | at No. 2 USC | L 7–41 | 61,809 | [18] | ||
| October 8 | No. 14 California | W 17–10 | 27,500 | [19] | ||
| October 15 | UCLA | L 16–20 | 37,750 | [20] | ||
| October 22 | at Stanford | L 29–31 | 47,500 | [21] | ||
| October 29 | Oregon |
| W 56–20 | 27,200 | [22] | |
| November 5 | at Oregon State | W 24–10 | 22,657 | [23] | ||
| November 12 | Idaho* |
| W 45–17 | 18,500 | [24][25] | |
| November 19 | at No. 19 Washington | L 15–35 | 60,964 | [26] | ||
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- ^1 UCLA later forfeited the game due to fielding an ineligible player.
Roster
| 1977 Washington State Cougars football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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NFL draft
Eight Cougars were selected in the 1978 NFL draft; Ken Greene was the first player from Washington State taken in the first round in 13 years.[30]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Greene | DB | 1 | 19 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Don Schwartz | DB | 4 | 87 | New Orleans Saints |
| Mike Levenseller | WR | 6 | 164 | Oakland Raiders |
| Dan Doornink | RB | 7 | 174 | New York Giants |
| Don Hover | LB | 8 | 219 | Washington Redskins |
| Gavin Hendrick | P | 8 | 220 | San Diego Chargers |
| Eason Ramson | TE | 12 | 312 | Green Bay Packers |
| Mark Patterson | DB | 12 | 318 | Detroit Lions |