1977 Lafayette Leopards football team

1977 Lafayette Leopards football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Neil Putnam (7th season)
Captains	John Orrico Thomas Padilla
Home stadium	Fisher Field
Seasons ←  1976 1978  →

1977 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Lehigh ^			–					12	–	2	–	0
UNLV			–					9	–	2	–	0
Kentucky State			–					8	–	2	–	1
No. T–5 Nevada			–					8	–	3	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					7	–	3	–	0
Northern Michigan ^			–					7	–	3	–	0
Youngstown State			–					7	–	3	–	0
Portland State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Delaware			–					6	–	3	–	1
Akron			–					6	–	4	–	1
American International			–					5	–	4	–	1
West Chester			–					5	–	5	–	0
Central State (OH)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff			–					4	–	5	–	1
Bucknell			–					4	–	5	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles			–					4	–	5	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Northeastern			–					3	–	6	–	1
Northern Colorado			–					3	–	7	–	0
Santa Clara			–					2	–	7	–	1
Eastern Illinois			–					1	–	10	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1977 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. In their seventh year under head coach Neil Putnam, the Leopards compiled a 5–6 record. ^[1] John Orrico and Thomas Padilla were the team captains. ^[2] Lafayette played its home games at Fisher Field on College Hill in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	Maine	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 10–12	4,200–4,328	[3]
September 17	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 12–38	4,200	[4]
September 24	at Columbia	Baker Field New York, NY	L 10–21	1,500	[5]
October 1	at Merchant Marine	Tomb Field Kings Point, NY	W 33–6	4,000	[6]
October 8	Bucknell	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 34–7	7,500–8,000	[1] [7]
October 14	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 7–42	3,353	[8]
October 22	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 6–42	28,277–28,322	[9]
October 29	Gettysburg	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 22–3	6,000–6,500	[10]
November 5	Fordham	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 41–23	3,500	[1]
November 12	Davidson	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 20–18	2,500	[11]
November 19	at No. 8 Lehigh	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	L 17–35	18,000	[12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

References

1. "Lafayette Football 1963-1986". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 104. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Team Captains 1882-2019". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 97. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. Reinhard, Paul (September 11, 1977). "Maine 12-10: Tough Loss for Lafayette". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance in "Maine Slips by Lafayette, 12-10". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. September 11, 1977. p. 95.
4. Reinhard, Paul (September 18, 1977). "Dunlap's Raiders Too Much for Leopards". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Colgate 38, Lafayette 12". Sunday Telegram . Elmira, N.Y. September 18, 1977. p. 5D.
5. Rogers, Thomas (September 25, 1977). "Columbia Sets Back Lafayette by 21-10". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
6. Reinhard, Paul (October 2, 1977). "Lafayette, Lehigh Impressive Winners". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Lafayette 33, Kings Point 7". St. Petersburg Times . St. Petersburg, Fla. October 2, 1977. p. 7C.
7. "Final 1977 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Bucknell)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
8. Newman, Chuck (October 15, 1977). "Penn Power Overcomes Lafayette". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hall Directs Army over Lafayette 42-6". Daily Press . Newport News, Va. Associated Press. October 23, 1977. p. D12 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Lafayette Turns Breaks into Two Touchdowns to Down Stubborn Bullets". The Gettysburg Times . Gettysburg, Pa. October 31, 1977. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Reinhard, Paul (November 13, 1977). "Lafayette Holds Off Davidson 20-18 in Wild Finish". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Davidson Rally Falls Short in 20-18 Loss". The Charlotte Observer . Charlotte, N.C. November 13, 1977. p. 4B.
12. Lewis, Allen (November 20, 1977). "A Bowl for Lehigh? Rieker's Passes Bomb Lafayette". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11D – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Final 1977 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Lafayette)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 16, 2024.